Test Of Time Book 3: Blood, Sweat, and Tears
by AngelDesaray
Summary: THIRD BOOK READ "A FATHER'S SON" FIRST! Five years have passed since Luke was kicked out of the Jedi Order and sent into exile. True to his word, he has raised the young twi'lek girl Jeza on their solitude known as Xenon. But things are about to change. Exiled or not, the Galaxy and the Force is not finished with Luke Skywalker. No, it has just begun. Their long road has yet to end
1. Chapter 1: Aged Souls

_**It has begun...**_

_**That's all I have to say now.**_

_**Other than for those of you that missed this fact, I pitched the Force Restraint. A) I knew they didn't exist and I decided to take a risk when I put them in B) I figured it was a sign when that decision kept me up at night, so I went back and took it out. So no, Luke doesn't have a Force Restraint.**_

_**Oh, and this series is now called Test of Time. It's now the Test of Time Series mwahahaha.**_

_**Lastly, I am using SW Galactic Standard Calendar as listed on Wookieepedia, just in case the time passed confuses anyone.**_

_**(BTW if you want to know what Jeza looks like, there's the book cover. It took me forever to find a gray skinned twi'lek photo that I liked lol.)**_

_**PLEASE OH MY FORCE PLEASE REVIEW!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

His heart was pounding in his ears as the wind rushed past his face. For a few seconds he would free-fall before his hand reached out to grab the next branch and he would propel himself into the air once again. Sweat poured down from his brow into his eyes, but it didn't deter him from his course; it didn't even break his concentration. The aching in his arms was just a minor distraction in the back of his mind that he was able to drown out by immersing himself in the Force.

Xenon wasn't Dagobah, but it still worked rather well for these physically trying exercises that kept him in shape.

Once more, Luke was weightless in the air before his hand connected with the next and last branch, signaling the now instinctive action of swinging himself up onto the firm branch to land in a crouch. Gathering himself, he front flipped off of the edge of the branch, landing neatly on the ground with the help of the Force. Luke stood, readjusting the right shoulder of his cloak that had started slipping during his workout before he brushed off some of the small splinters and leaf particles that had gathered on him.

With a small sigh, Luke made his way over to the tree as he did every day, crouching down to grab a notched stick off of the ground. Once he added another notch, he set the stick back on the ground, letting his eyes roam around this same spot that he constantly visited.

The fifth year in exile as shown by the tree. Only four sticks notched that were sticking up out of the ground, so he was in the fifth month. Six sticks lying down fully notched to show six weeks, and four notches on a seventh stick to show four days.

Five years, four months, six weeks, and four days in exile.

Had it really been that long?

He didn't let himself dwell on that thought for long. Instead, he got back to his feet and started his cool down walk back towards home.

Home…

It had taken some force to think of the wooden cabin in the heart of the thickest forest in the area as home. It was strategically placed to hide its location from any chance visitors to Xenon, and it was also a few meters away from the river that flowed into the lake he'd learned had been named Jiili by the once-locals. He'd managed to accomplish a second level to the cabin about three years ago, and two years ago he'd expanded the cabin to involve a training room of sorts. Expanding had been a good way to keep his mind off of less desirable thoughts whenever he was in a particularly dark place.

Still, there was another place, another planet, he would much rather be…

Luke choked back the emotions that threatened to rise to the surface. Over five years and the pain of being ripped from his family still cut deeper than the lightsaber Sidious had shoved through his chest on two occasions.

At least he wasn't utterly alone in his exile.

Luke ducked under a low hanging branch and stepped into the small patch in the woods that housed the cabin he'd managed to construct. Smoke trailed out of the short, modest chimney, signaling that dinner was either cooking or nearly done. When Luke's stomach rumbled lightly, he started to hope that it was the latter.

Once inside, Luke shrugged off his old cloak and laid it over the back of the couch that sat in front of the fireplace—one of the many furniture pieces that had been scavenged from the remains of the village. The fire crackled merrily, but there was nothing cooking over it. The delicious aroma of uxibeast meat, most likely steak, wafted towards him, and he couldn't help but smile a little. Luke would wager that uxibeast tasted even better than nerf, though they were definitely harder to kill, capture, or even domesticate than a nerf was. Still, there wasn't any nerf around here, so an uxibeast had to work.

Luke paused at the dusty mirror that hung beside the fireplace to clean himself up the best he could. He ran his hand through his hair, smoothing it down and brushing some of it out of his face. His hair had grown rather long over the years, though thankfully he'd found a pair of scissors at the village as well, so he was able to make it manageable. He needed a cut again though; it was starting to get scary long again.

The chink of silverware called his attention back to his initial destination, which was the small dining room-slash-kitchen through the door on his left that the mouthwatering aroma was drifting through. Smiling a little, Luke finally walked in, eager to get to dinner.

A young sixteen year old, light gray skinned, midnight blue eyed twi'lek looked up at him as he entered and smiled at him. "I was wondering when you'd show up," Jeza said in amusement, her melodic voice holding a teasing note as she spoke.

It never ceased to amaze him how much that skinny ten year old he had taken in had grown in the past five years. She was freshly sixteen, just as Luke had just turned twenty-nine earlier this year. Despite her youth, however, she acted much older than her age. Every time she'd outgrown her old clothes, Luke had trekked out to the decimated village to find a new pair that suited her. She'd also taken to customizing some of those cloths, and had developed a talent for making her own much to Luke's relief. She kept everything mobile and simple, like Luke. A simple black tube-top, black boots and tight-fitting black pants; an outfit that eerily mirrored Jedi Master Aayla Secura's own outfit. However, she added her own touches to the classic twi'lek outfit with a personalized black headpiece that criss-crossed down her lekkus, and two black manax cat hide gauntlets that ran from wrist to elbow and had small hooked spikes all the way down. Normally she had black gloves on top of that, but since they were eating she wasn't wearing them. It was strange the gothic edge that she showed in her clothing considering she was nowhere near gothic in character.

She actually reminded him a lot of Mara. Sometimes that was a good thing, and sometimes it was just painful.

Luke smiled slightly, taking his usual seat across from her at their small dining table. "I actually think I'm here earlier than I was the last three days; I might have to expand my track again." Luke's expression lit up when he noticed that on top of the uxibeast steak, Jeza had also included a small salad and fresh cambylictus juice. His favorite to the point that Jeza kept the location of the cambylictus trees to herself. Luke had yet to find one of them. He eyed her with a raised eyebrow. "What's the occasion?"

Jeza flashed him her signature smile that she knew made him melt. "Oh, I just felt like making it; you seemed down lately, so I thought I'd try and cheer you up."

Luke was touched by the truthfulness he could sense in her words, but he still felt like there was more to it. Cautiously, he poured the two of them a glass of cambylictus juice while Jeza forked a uxibeast steak onto each of their plates in silence. They each got their own portion of the salad and settled into a comfortable silence only broken by the chink of silverware on the plates.

Well...it would have been comfortable if Luke hadn't been able to sense Jeza's growing anxiety. It seemed there was something that she wanted to ask; she was just weary of asking about it.

Curious...

Jeza gave a small sigh, signaling she was reading to speak. "Father..."

Inside, Luke winced. "Jeza, you know how I feel about that."

He could practically _hear_ her rolling her eyes on instinct. "You've treated me just like a father would these past few years; better even in some cases. To me, you _are_ my father."

Well, he couldn't really argue with that. She was getting better at arguing this point. Knowing he'd lose this particular battle, he smiled to himself. "You're going to make me feel older than I am."

Jeza laughed softly, but it was brief. Oh yes, whatever she wanted to ask him was something she knew was tumultuous territory with him. It was probably wise to prepare himself now and be ready to calm himself before he answered.

"We're getting low on uxibeast..." she said slowly, and Luke instantly knew what this was all about.

"Jeza—" he started, but she cut him off and spoke in a rush to get it all out before he could continue.

"I know you don't like me hunting them on my own but I can handle myself, you know I can!" she plead.

"The last time you said that you were nearly killed by manka cats," Luke said gravely, holding her deep blue gaze with his own Corellian blue one.

"But I wasn't," she argued back.

"Because I sensed you were in danger and managed to intervene before they could," he pointed out calmly.

"Yes, but I was able to hold them off until then," she shot back. "I know you worry about me, but you can't protect me from everything, and I need to be allowed to do things on my own! I'm sixteen, I'm perfectly capable of handling myself. Yes I tend to find myself crossing paths with danger, but that doesn't mean I have to be holed up in this house my entire life!"

Luke set his fork down, leaning back in his chair and silently studying Jeza from across the table. He knew he couldn't protect her from everything, but he could sure as Force try. He'd made a promise to her guardian Denna, and considering the nature of that promise he was going to protect her to the death and beyond.

_Cleanse yourself; take care of Jeza._

At the same time...he knew what she was talking about. He was painfully reminded of similar arguments with Uncle Owen about joining the Academy, and once he was able to see things from her point of view, he just couldn't help but relent a little.

He sighed, turning back to his meal. "Make sure you have the vibroblade on you, not just your bow and arrows...Force, take my lightsaber with you; but be careful."

Jeza seemed stunned for a moment by how abruptly he changed his mind. "You're...you're sure? I can go alone?"

Luke raised his eyebrows in mild surprise at her. "You act like I keep you locked in here and held against your will."

Jeza gave him a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, I don't mean too, it's just...sometimes you get a little _too_ overprotective."

Luke smiled a little to himself, pushing around a scrap of lettuce absently. "I'm sorry if I do get like that sometimes...I can't help it after what I've been through. It's become a little bit of a...second nature to keep the ones I care about close. I might have inherited the overprotectiveness from _my_ father; I wouldn't be surprised," he said with a small smile.

Jeza returned the tiny smile with a rather wide one. "I promise I won't be long tomorrow. I'll go out early so I can get to the uxibeasts before the manka cats."

"If you get into any trouble you know how to contact me," Luke said sternly.

Jeza stood, empty plate and silverware in hand. "Yes, I do; thank you so much Father."

Once again, Luke winced inwardly. One would think that after five years that particular word wouldn't bother him, but yet it had continued to make him uncomfortable. It was hard to accept Jeza calling him Father when Luke had been the one to slaughter her parents while they slept. The only reason Jeza wasn't dead was because there was no sign of a child due to the fact her parents had cleaned up all of her toys and possessions before they'd taken a nap together on the couch. It just felt wrong for Jeza to call him Father when her parents' blood was on his hands, but she was persistent _and_ insistent. Eventually, he'd learned to stop asking her not to call him Father, though occasionally he did protest.

As Jeza cleaned her dishes in their medium sized bucket that acted as a sink, Luke finished up his dinner in silence as he had done the past three weeks. He knew Jeza was secretly worried about his sudden silence, but he wasn't very talkative with his recent nightmares…

"Have you done your exercises for the day?" Luke asked suddenly as he stood up from the table. Jeza actually did some of the rigorous Jedi routines that Luke had to do in his youth, and she did them willingly to stay fit enough to at least try to keep up with Luke. He'd also trained her in hand-to-hand combat, Djem-So (to the best of her abilities), marksmanship (the best they could do without blasters), and meditation. She also understood the workings of the Force far more than a normal non-Force Sensitive being did, as she had expressed an interest in the topic early on and had made it clear to Luke that she wanted to know as much as possible to understand how he saw the world.

Jeza nodded, placing the dishes aside to dry as Luke took the position at their makeshift sink to do his own dishes. "All but my end-of-day routine in the training room. I decided to do that after dinner," she admitted. Luke nodded.

"That's fine. I'm just going to do a meditative session before I head to bed for the night. I've had a lot on my mind recently," Luke said conversationally.

"I've noticed," Jeza quipped, and Luke could feel the youth's probing eyes on him. He sighed, knowing she was hoping for an explanation.

"I just haven't been sleeping well recently. The nightmares are getting worse…" he mumbled with a frown. He was starting to worry that they weren't nightmares, but rather visions. But that wasn't the only thing that was on his mind. "Also…my father's lifeday is tomorrow…He's going to be fifty-two…"

"Oh," Jeza said softly, and silence fell once again. Jeza squeezed Luke's shoulder gently before she left the room, giving him the much needed space he often needed around his family's lifedays, and the anniversary of his exile. He stayed standing at the bucket for several long moments before he finally shook himself out of his mournful trance enough to leave the small kitchen, dump out the dirty water outside, replace the bucket, and situate himself in front of the fireplace, his legs crossed and back completely straight.

He took several calming breaths, watching the flames cavort in front of him in an intricate dance as his breathing evened out into a steady, deep rhythm. His eyelids fluttered closed and his senses expanded to where he could sense Jeza in the training room as well as millions of lifeforms around them in the forest ranging from microscopic insects to grazing kybucks

Luke let himself ease into the waves of the light side of the Force, basking in the peace and serenity that it offered him. Part of his brain seemed to trick itself into believing he was asleep, though truthfully he had just finally reached his center. Hesitantly, Luke tried to stretch out in the Force farther than the reaches of Xenon in the futile hope that he would be able to reach one of his loved ones that he hadn't seen in over five years. Of course, they were most likely in the Deep Core while he was in the Unknown Regions, but still…

Outside their serene world, Luke could sense the Galaxy in a tumult. Of course, he didn't know how far he had reached, but he could definitely sense the unrest in the Force that suggested such events. He frowned, trying to sharpen his focus so that he could sense individual, familiar presences. His excitement was aroused when he _did_ sense a familiar presence, though it was faint and oh so far away from him. He couldn't tell who it was, but he knew that they invoked a feeling of warmth inside of him, and he saw green…and felt a sigh leak out of him as feather-soft lips pressed upon his own…

_Luke…_

"Luke."

Luke opened his eyes, and the first thing he noticed was that the fire had long since died down to smoldering embers in front of him. The second thing was Jeza's gentle hand upon his shoulder. He blinked owlishly, coming back down to reality to see Jeza smiling at him.

"It's getting really late; I'm headed to bed, and I think you should too," she said softly. Luke reached up and clasped the hand that rested on his shoulder in his hand.

"All right, I'm right behind you; I'll just put this fire out first," Luke told her. Jeza leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Goodnight Father; get some rest."

"I will. Goodnight Jeza…"

He watched the sixteen year old disappear upstairs, his mind wandering back to their first year together on Xenon. It hadn't been in a wooden cabin, but in a cave until he'd been able to get a roof over their heads. He didn't live in the remains of the village for obvious reasons; too many ghosts, and too many horrible memories for both of them. In fact, the village was actually quite a ways away from their current abode for a reason. He did, however, eventually find it in himself to return to the village to scavenge supplies all the time. For a while, Luke had slept on the cold stone floor of the said cave with nothing else, giving Jeza the blanket and the pillows they had to form a bed of sorts. Once they had the cabin, he'd slept on the floor by the fire while Jeza had been given their solitary couch; there just wasn't room for more than that at the time. At least by then he'd been gifted with a pillow or two, as well as a threadbare blanket. Now, thankfully, that rough first year was past them. They had a second story to the cabin that consisted of two rooms for the both of them, and each had the needed amounts of pillows and blankets, as well as a bed for themselves. They lived in relative comfort with what they needed to survive, and whenever they were lacking in something he made sure that it was only himself that was missing something, never Jeza.

With a sigh, Luke put out the fire, making sure that every ember had died before he made his way up the narrow stairs to his own loft bedroom. He could hear the creak of Jeza's bed as she shifted in place when he passed her room and smiled slightly to himself. The creak drove her insane, but it was nowhere near as unstable as Luke's bed was.

She didn't know that, of course. If she found out, Luke would never hear the end of it.

Luke muffled a yawn, stretching momentarily before he got shrugged off his shirt and got situated on his bed, ignoring the creak that he had grown practically oblivious to as he shifted under the covers. Exhaustion seeped through his bones while his eyelids fluttered closed, and he was so tired he didn't even notice the Force reaching out towards him as he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

_Luke was surrounded by darkness, moving slowly as if he was walking underwater. He was certain that if he kept walking, he would eventually find what he was looking for._

_What was he looking for?_

"_Luke…"_

"_Luke…"_

_Two different voices called out to him in the darkness, though their voices were warped with the underwater effect and they both came from opposite directions. Luke spun on his heel, eyes searching from side to side as he tried to locate one of the sources. He knew those voices, both of them; they were imprinted on his soul._

"_Come here…"_

"_Come here…"_

"_Luke…"_

"_Luke…"_

"_Where are you?" he tried to call, but he was choked out as he suddenly felt as if he was drowning._

"_Luke! Help me, please!"_

"_Luke! Help me, please!"_

_He tried to call out to them, but the water rushed into his lungs, preventing him from speaking. He thrashed for air desperately, trying to find the surface that would lead him to life-sustaining oxygen and, hopefully, the two that needed his help._

_The two voices let lose eardrum-rupturing screams that were abruptly cut short the same moment that Luke reached upward in a desperate attempt to reach the surface. His head was pounding from the lack of air as he fingers stretched to try and find the surface. He wasn't going to make it, he didn't have enough air, enough time..._

_A strong hand grabbed his outstretched fingers, pulling him up and out of the darkness that had come so close to drowning him. He coughed violently, gasping in air like a beached fish, clinging to the strangers hand blindly in the dark as he was lifted to the surface._

_He just wished it wasn't so cold...he felt like he was back in the blizzard on Hoth, with the wind cutting not only to the bone, but to his very soul. Light gradually started to fill the blackness, and Luke could see he was still dangling precariously over a cliffs ledge, a stranger's hand the only thing keeping him from falling back into the inky depths that had almost claimed his life. He closed his eyes before he realized that the strangers hand was warm and slick. For a moment, he panicked, thinking that he would slip and fall to his death as he looked sharply upwards._

_The first thing he noticed was that the stranger's hands were slick with blood, and Luke had the sickening feeling he knew whose blood it was. Raising his eyes higher, Luke saw burning golden eyes that struck fear into his very soul; but not fear for himself. Unable to tear his eyes from the golden eyes, Luke saw nothing else as a man's laughter echoed around Luke, echoed by the agonized screams of..._

* * *

"_Not them! No!_"

"Father!"

Luke jerked awake, held down by Jeza's firm grasp on his arms while she straddled him to keep him from hurting himself. He was covered in a sheen of cool sweat, the blanket no longer on him but lying in a tangled heap on the floor. Jeza's deep blue eyes stared down at him in concern as he slowly came back to reality, his heavy breathing gradually evening out.

"What happened?" Jeza asked, sounding somewhat shaken. "I heard you yell and when I came in you were thrashing around like you were possessed!"

Jeza finally let go of him and he leaned his head back with a groan, burying his face in his hands. "I-I'm sorry I woke you...it was nothing, just...just a bad dream..."

Jeza sighed, swinging off of him. "I doubt that...Father, these dreams just keep getting worse. I don't think that it's nothing anymore."

Luke pulled his hands away from his face to fix her with a gaze he knew was haunted as he spoke in the barest of whispers. "For the sake of my sanity, let us please pretend that these nightmares are nothing more than that; nightmares. Considering we're stranded here...I can't bear the thought of them being...premonitions...while I'm unable to do anything. So please...let's just leave it as a simple nightmare."

Jeza pursed her lips, but nodded in consent. "Okay...but I'm sleeping in here with you tonight, for your sake."

Luke couldn't help the fact his eyebrows rose a little at the request. "No, you go back to your room and get some rest; you have to get up earlier than me tomorrow. I'm sorry I woke you, but I'll be fine for the rest of the night."

Jeza rolled her eyes. "Nope, I'm staying in here with you tonight. Just in case you have another...nightmare...and you need someone to snap you out of it."

Luke sighed, too tired to argue with her much more. "All right, fine..." he mumbled, worming over to the other side of the bed while Jeza picked the blanket up off of the floor. She grimaced at all the creaking that the bed made.

"I hate how loud this thing is; it's worse than mine," she whined softly, lying down on the free space that Luke had created and throwing the blanket over the two of them.

Luke shimmied towards her, hooking an arm around her midriff and pulling her close like she was once again the scared eleven, twelve year old waking up from a nightmare about _him_, yet still seeking _him_ out for comfort. Those nights...had shamed and humbled him while at the same time they had warmed his heart and brought him closer to his young charge and adoptive daughter. The two of them situated into their routine positions, and soon they were listening to each other's breathing even as they both slowly drifted back to sleep.

Luke's last thought before unconsciousness took him?

_At least I can protect _Jeza_ from the fate I see in my nightmares. I will _never_ let _anyone_ touch her. Not while I'm still breathing._


	2. Chapter 2: Unexpected

_**Wow this story takes no time in getting into the thick of things, hehehe**_

_**Sooooo**_

_**New chapter guys!**_

_**PLLLLEEEAAAASSSEEEEE Review!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

When Luke woke the next morning, the first thing he registered was the fact that Jeza was already gone. His arm lay limp in empty space, though it seemed she had taken the time to wrap the covers around him as he was snug and warm despite her absence. Luke pushed himself out of the bed with a yawn, stretching like a tuk'ata before he reached over and grabbed a fresh shirt out of the small nightstand drawer.

He only had three shirts; the one he'd arrived in and two shirts he'd scavenged that consisted of a black long sleeve shirt with a low v collar and a tan tank top. He'd worn the long sleeve yesterday, and the tank top was also dirty, so it was back to the shirt that held more memories than he could stand some days.

Luke pulled the shirt on, his hand resting over the right corner for a few moments as he stared pensively at the floor.

Something was...different today. He could feel as much through the Force. What was so different about today, he didn't know.

But he had the feeling that he would soon find out.

Luke shook himself out of his daze, taking his time on his way downstairs where, to his surprise, he saw his lightsaber sitting right where he'd left it yesterday above the fireplace. His frown morphed into a scowl as he plucked the weapon from its perch.

"Jeza..." he muttered under his breath, already reaching for his cloak. He hadn't been joking yesterday when he'd told her to take the weapon with her on her hunt. Just in case something happened, he wanted her to be ready.

Luke pulled his old black cloak on, lifting the hood over his head as he clipped the weapon onto his belt. It was true that he had arrived on Xenon with two lightsabers, but one of them had been a Sith blade, and had seen too much bloodshed for him to bear. Instead of tossing the weapon aside forever, however, Luke had done something different. It had still been a part of him, and he had constructed it himself. So, on one of the days that he had found some spare time to himself, Luke had set the two lightsabers in front of him and, using parts from both, constructed an entirely new lightsaber. It seemed only fitting that he merge them per say, considering they were both from two separate lifetimes that had recently merged. The result had been a curious thing; it was a mixture between his father's lightsaber and his original, green bladed lightsaber that had seen him through the Second Death Star and Jabba's Palace. Black and silver pieces blended together as most of the hilt resembled his original lightsaber including the emerald blade and the black horizontal handgrip that was now started just below the top part of the lightsaber, while the top part retained the same look that his father's lightsaber had down to the curved blade emitter shroud. It was a piece in and of itself.

Without a second thought even for breakfast, Luke left the cabin and plunged into the depths of the forest in pursuit of Jeza. He ran through a list of her hunting spots in his head, all the while kicking himself for not asking her where she was going to be hunting. Now he had an entire planet to search, with no idea how much of a head start she had on him.

At least he had the Force to guide him in the right direction. Luke followed the promptings without hesitation, threading effortlessly through the trees with hardly any noise. His silence had come from years and years of practice, and he could even sneak up on grazing herds of all sorts of animals to the point that he could reach out and touch their face from the brush if he so pleased. Though his skill in silence was nothing compared to how much his Force abilities had developed over the space of five years. He'd known he was a quick learner, and he needed to be a quick self-taught learner with how his life had originally been, but how far he'd progressed surprised even him.

Luke's train of thought cut off abruptly when he suddenly sensed a bright presence headed his way and heard the sound of hurried footsteps rushing through branches and thick brush. His head snapped to the side and he stepped right into the path of the oncoming presence, ready and waiting for them when they finally burst out of the thicket he was braced in front of.

Jeza let out a squeal of surprise when she ran into Luke and he grabbed her arms, causing her to instinctively fly into one of the basic self-defense maneuvers he had taught her to break free. Luke easily outmaneuvered her, holding her in a strong yet gentle grip, bemused at her reaction.

"Jeza, Jeza, relax, it's me! It's Luke!" Luke exclaimed while Jeza bucked in his arms. At the familiar voice and his reassuring words, she paused and realization dawned on her in the next moment. She gasped, spinning around to face him.

"Father!" she cried out, burying her face in his chest. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I thought you were—"

"A manka cat? I don't think Manka cats have thumbs or know how to break the grip you tried to put me in," Luke said in mild amusement.

Jeza pulled away, shaking her head. "No, I thought you were someone else." Luke gave her a bemused look. There was no one else on this planet, so why would she think he was someone else? He didn't have to wonder much longer, because Jeza was quick to explain. "Father, while I was hunting, I saw a...I think it was...a ship land in a clearing."

Luke's entire figure froze at her words and his mind began to race. Someone here, on Xenon? Jeza had never seen a spaceship in her entire life, so it would be an alien thing to her, as would many other things like desert planets, ice planets, ocean planets...anything outside of Xenon basically. She'd been born on this planet in her isolated village. Also, she was well aware that Luke was exiled here, so she wouldn't joke about anyone arriving on the planet.

Jeza continued onwards with her startling report. "I stayed long enough to see that there were several of them, and they had blasters...well, all of them except one. They had one man blindfolded and tied up."

That caught Luke's attention. He firmly but gently grasped her arm, steering her back in the direction she'd appeared. "Show me."

Jeza hesitated, bringing Luke to a stop. "I was running because I think one of them might have spotted me."

Luke glanced back in the direction she'd rushed from, his mind racing. "I don't think these men you saw are up to any good...We can't risk them spotting us," he muttered more to himself than to Jeza. His gaze roamed upward. "We'll stick to the treetops."

Jeza frowned slightly, and Luke couldn't help the small smirk that flickered across his face. They both were well aware that Luke moved much quicker through the trees than Jeza. Jeza was still really fast, but Luke moved with the inhuman Jedi speed. "Don't worry," he said soothingly. "I'm not going to let you out of my sight, and I'll go slow enough that you can keep up."

Jeza nodded. "All right," she agreed, already moving to scale the tree. Luke stopped her before she could though, gently grasping her arm.

"Jeza...just in case this goes sour...I need you to promise me that you'll stay in the trees and off the ground; I don't want you getting hurt. And just in case it comes to a fight, I need you to be ready to cover me with your bow if it becomes necessary."

Jeza's eyes widened in surprise and there was a flicker of fear in them as well; a reaction that caused Luke's heart to ache. Jeza had only hunted non-sentient animals; she'd never been in a situation where she might have to take a sentient being's life, and the prospect obviously frightened her. Luke wasn't even sure she could do it if such a moment did arise, but he needed someone to cover him in the case of a fight, and she was the only help that he had, no matter how loath he was to put her in this position.

Finally, Jeza nodded slowly. "I understand Father."

Luke smiled slightly, pulling the girl in for a tight hug before he broke away. "Come on; we better hurry. The sooner we get this over with, the better."

* * *

It took a while to reach the spot traveling through the treetops, but eventually they found themselves crouched in the high branches of the trees that were at the edge of the clearing that the beings had landed in. True to what she'd said, there was a large freight ship in the center of the clearing, its ramp lowered with seven armed bounty hunters mulling around it. Tied to a pole that had been impaled into the ground just below them sat a man with silvery hair and an aged face. He was blindfolded as Jeza had said, but he was also gagged and tied so tightly Luke doubted the man could move. Two bounty hunters stood guard over the man, jeering at him while he remained silent. Of the bounty hunters there were three Trandoshans, one Zebrak, and three human males total.

Pretty good odds in Luke's mind.

Luke glanced at Jeza, who was crouched beside him with her bow in hand and an arrow already notched just in case. Silently, he pressed his finger to his lips to signal her to remain quiet before he moved further down the branch until he was right over the two bounty hunters that were guarding the man. Crouched low to the branch, Luke closed his eyes and focused on eavesdropping on the two to figure out what was going on.

"...better be worth all the trouble that we've gone to for him," one of the hunters, a Trandoshan, grumbled to his black haired human companion.

"Are you kidding me?" the black haired man asked. "We'll probably never be able to show our faces on Coruscant again now that we've taken him. Judro's plan better work, or all of us are dead."

"Well, we're in the middle of the Unknown Regions with _him_; I doubt the Jedi will find us out here."

Luke stiffened at the mention of the Jedi, his gaze darting towards the bound man. Whoever he was, it was obvious that he was important. Why he was important had yet to be discovered though.

"Did Kol transmit our coordinates before we entered the atmosphere?" the Trandoshan asked.

The black haired man snorted. "How in the dark are you? Judro gave him the coordinates for this planet _specifically_. He said he knew that the Jedi wouldn't come here and that we wouldn't be found. He couldn't get him to say why though. He just said to wait here and that he'd come to pick our little friend up, we'd get paid, and then we could go our own ways."

"Have you even seen this Judro? Or heard him?" the Trandoshan asked. The black haired man hesitated.

"None of us have."

"I don't like it...especially with a high profile job like this."

"Just shut up and do as you're told so we can get this over with and get paid."

"I don't think we're even going to be giving him back. From what I've heard, Judro's just going to have us kill him. Not that it would bother me; I'd like to slit a few throats instead of all the sneaking around we had to do."

"That's not entirely true. How many personal guards did we have to cut down to get to him? Sure, a few more would have been nice..."

Luke started to slowly retreat down the branch back towards Jeza, hoping to slip back into the canopy and discuss with her what he had found out without being noticed. Obviously fate and the Force had other plans, because behind him a branch broke and fell to the ground behind the two bounty hunters. Luke's head whipped around to fixate on Jeza, who had frozen in place when she'd accidentally knocked the branch off.

There was no time for a reprimand; there was never time in moments like this. Luke grabbed the branch in both hands and swung downwards, dropping down on the two bounty hunters and bringing his elbows down hard over both of their heads. All three of them dropped like rocks, but Luke was already up and moving, grabbing a vibroblade off of the Trandoshan and bringing it down on the human male's throat. He forced himself not to think, just do as he spun around and locked grips with the Trandoshan. Shouting could be heard from the other men, but Luke didn't want to pull out his lightsaber until it was absolutely necessary and he could already hear Jeza's arrows flying through the air towards the other bounty hunters. Luke grit his teeth before he head-butted the Trandoshan and there was an audible crack. Both of them were dazed, but Luke took advantage of the Trandoshan's dazed state to grab the back of his neck and bring his head down hard on Luke's sharply rising knee. He gripped the vibroblade tightly and yanked himself free of the Trandoshan's grasp, jabbing the vibroblade diagonally into the Trandoshan's collar and letting the being drop to the ground.

He tried not to think of the fact that he'd just killed two people for the first time in years, and all in a matter of seconds. Instead, he leaned down and snatched the blasters from their dead bodies, looking up into the trees where Jeza was still perched, watching him with wide eyed fear. Luke swallowed the guilt and shame; now was not the time for that. Instead, he tossed one of the blasters up to her.

"Cover me," he called as it flew through the air. The sixteen-year-old snatched the weapon before it could fall to the ground, but Luke was already turning around with the blaster in hand to open fire on the remaining five. The first two shots hit true, though those were also the two closest bounty hunters. After that, the remaining three took cover, peppering fire in his direction from behind either some part of the ship or behind foliage in the clearing. Luke holstered the blaster with one hand before he pulled out his lightsaber, and the distinctive _snap-hiss_ of the activated emerald blade echoed around the clearing. Through the Force, Luke felt a distinctive spike in panic among the bounty hunters, and a strong wave of relief from the man that was behind him, still alive and tied to the post. In a last ditch effort, the bounty hunters emerged from their hiding spots and released all the fire they had on the single solitary figure that stood at the edge of the clearing. Bolts whizzed passed Luke's ear from behind, courtesy of Jeza, peppering the ground in front of the charging bounty hunters.

Luke, however, was a blur of motion. His green blade moved with frightening, inhuman speed through the air, catching and reflecting bolt after bolt back at the hunters mercilessly. The hum of his blade, the familiar motions...

It felt right; it felt like home.

One of the reflected bolts struck a bounty hunter in the chest, and one of Jeza's bolts struck a second bounty hunter, leaving one left. The Zebrak skidded to a stop and halted his fire, realizing he was outmatched as he turned to rush back to the ship. Luke reached out his hand, grabbing the Zebrak with the Force and yanking him towards Luke. The Zebrak skidded on the ground several meters before he pushed himself onto his knee and opened fire on Luke once again. Luke deflected the bolts as he advanced on the Zebrak, lightsaber flashing before Luke was finally close enough to him to finish him off with a graceful slash across the chest. The Zebrak fell dead at Luke's feet and he deactivated his lightsaber, stepping away from the body with an audible sound of disgust.

"Father!" Jeza called out from behind him, and Luke turned away from the sight of the dead Zebrak to focus on Jeza. The sixteen year old crashed into him, causing Luke to grunt and stumble a few steps back before he returned the crushing embrace she had on his torso.

"Are you all right?" he asked her gruffly, face buried at the base of her lekkus.

"I-I'm fine, I'm fine, I just...I've never..." Jeza stuttered, struggling with her words. The girl was trembling, and Luke knew it was from a mixture of adrenaline and horror at taking a life. She had seen her fair share of violence; Force, she'd seen the product of Luke submerged in the dark side. But this was different. Luke gently pulled her away, holding her at arm's length so he could look her in the eyes.

"Just breathe, all right? Deep breaths...look at me, don't look anywhere else. Focus on my voice..." he said soothingly. Jeza did as he asked and her tremors slowed down.

"Was it like this when you first..." she struggled with her words for a moment. "When you first killed someone?"

Luke winced inwardly before he threw his mind back to the first time he'd shot someone in his original lifetime. He'd been nineteen, and it had been on the Death Star. "In one life there wasn't time for me to think about it then," he admitted before he thought back to the first time in his alternate lifetime. It was a good thing that he'd explained all of the merged timelines business to Jeza once, as anyone else would be utterly confused at their conversation. "And in another I knew that if I didn't, than he would kill my father and possibly me as well. Just...try not to think about it. Try to think of something else, anything. I always found that keeping my mind on the present helped. For example, there is a hostage that we need to free now."

Jeza blinked in surprise at the reminder, turning back to the direction of the tied-up man. "Oh...I forgot about him..."

Luke chuckled slightly. "That's understandable..." he suddenly became very quiet as they both started forward. Just before they reached the hostage, Luke spoke. "Jeza...everything's about to change...I can sense it. I'm going to need you to do _exactly_ as I say, no matter what, okay? It could be a matter of life and death."

Jeza glanced at him, wide eyed. "O-Okay...All right, I can do that."

"Do you promise?"

Jeza nodded, though Luke thought she looked a little pale. "I promise."

Luke nodded, crouching down to pull the vibroblade out of the Trandoshan's collar before he positioned himself behind the old man, slicing easily through the ropes that held him. At least it was obvious that this man wasn't force-sensitive, so he wasn't a hostage Jedi. Perhaps he was some big shot politician...

Once the man's hands were free he ripped the gag out of his mouth at the same time that Luke took off his blindfold. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, I can't even begin to show you how grateful I am to you—to the both of you," the man gushed, eagerly taking in his two rescuers. Jeza stood cautiously by a tree, observing the man closely while Luke remained crouched on the ground, trying to discreetly clean the blood off of the vibroblade. The man's eyes zoomed in on the weapon that was clipped to Luke's belt, and his face lit up. "And you; you're a Jedi! Thank you so much for saving me, I knew that the Jedi would find me no matter what those slime said!"

Luke shifted uncomfortably, tucking the vibroblade into his belt as he stood up. "I'm no Jedi," he corrected the man softly. "I haven't been for years, and I probably never will be again."

The old man huffed, standing up straight with a rather regal air. _Oh yes, definitely a politician,_ Luke couldn't help but think. "Jedi or not, you still saved my life, and I owe you one," the old man said. Luke started to walk towards the ship, and the old man followed.

"You don't owe me anything," Luke told him firmly. _It's me that's forever in debt to the Galaxy_, Luke couldn't help but think. "Look, we set you free, and now you can take the ship back to Coruscant, or wherever it is that you were taken from. Just forget you were ever here, and forget that _we're_ here."

"The forgetting part is easier said than done, and I'm sorry to say that taking the ship back is nigh impossible," the old man said breezily. Luke spun around to fix the man with a sharp look, studying him closely.

"Oh, and why is that?" Luke asked suspiciously, his hand subconsciously resting on his lightsaber. He'd been through his fair share of betrayals to be wary.

"Because, those bounty hunters aren't the only ones who want me for a pretty credit, and they won't be the last. There're more of them, and if I travel back to Coruscant alone, then I'm just going to end up in their hands again. On top of that, I have no idea where I am, and I couldn't even begin to pilot a freighter back to Coruscant. Usually I have another pilot fly me everywhere."

Luke had to stifle a groan at that. Of course. "Let me guess...you would like us to escort you back to Coruscant?"

The old man smiled slightly at him. "That would be much appreciated, yes. You've already saved my life once, and I have no qualm with putting my safe return to Coruscant in your hands now."

Luke looked away from the old man. "Listen, as much as I would like to help you, what you're asking...I can't do that."

"Why not?" the old man asked.

"It's complicated," Luke muttered. He cast his eyes toward Jeza to avoid meeting the old man's gaze.

"I must go back to Coruscant; I'm needed there, and if I stay here than my captors will come looking for me. Most likely, they'll come after the two of you as well," the old man told Luke quietly. Luke bristled slightly at his words. He was pretty sure that the old man had purposely hit that nerve, probably guessing at the close nature of the relationship between Luke and Jeza. However, he had a point. Whoever was after the old man would come looking for them, and Luke didn't want Jeza getting hurt needlessly.

Luke searched Jeza's midnight blue eyes for several seconds, mulling over what he needed to do. If he brought the man back to Coruscant, he'd be putting them at deep risk. If it should be found out by the Council that he left Xenon...

But at the same time, it was obvious that this man needed their help, and it would not sit well with Luke if they didn't at least try to help him.

Luke exhaled slowly through his nose before he turned back to the old man. "All right; we'll take you to Coruscant. We'll help you, but as soon as you're off the ship the two of us are gone. I can't even be _glimpsed_ landing on Coruscant."

The old man looked at him suspiciously for the last comment, but was quick to hide it beneath a politician's mask. "I'm grateful for your kindness. Even if you don't agree with me, I believe I am in your debt."

Luke sighed, turning to ascend the ramp of the freighter. "Let's just hope I don't regret this..." Luke muttered to himself.


	3. Chapter 3: Rude Awakening

_**Things are about to get interesting, mwahahahaha**_

_**You guys better start getting ready for the next chapter (I know I am; I've got so much to refine and figure out...)**_

_**Though this one...a few memories...I might have dropped a few hints...**_

_**Can't wait :D**_

_**PLEASE REVIEW! (And thank you for previous reviews, your enthusiam just rubs off on me and makes me even MORE excited to write this story hahahaha. And I love reading your theories! I will say...you guys come up with some rather crazy stuff!)**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

"Easy now Jeza, I don't want you shooting my eye out."

Jeza shot Luke a rather murderous look and for a second he was sure that she was going to _accidentally_ shoot him for his comment, bet she simply huffed and moved her hands as Luke had just directed her to do a few seconds prior.

They were traveling through hyperspace at the moment, so Luke was giving Jeza a few pointers on shooting a blaster. She'd never been able to handle a real one until that moment in the clearing, and though she was obviously a natural shot—probably as a bi-product of all the other skills Luke had helped her develop—he had noticed room for improvement, and jumped at the opportunity to teach her as such. That teaching opportunity found them in the cargo hold of the old Dynamic-Class Freighter, with Jeza holding a blaster and taking shots at a muja fruit that Luke had found in one of the freighter's many crates.

Just a few feet away, the old man—Kuroth—sat watching them. He had given them a name once they'd gone into hyperspace, but only the last name. In exchange, Luke and Jeza had only given him their first names. There was no way that Luke was going to be giving Kuroth his last name, as the Skywalkers were known galaxy wide. Jeza had adopted Luke's last name as well, much to his distaste. He worried that she would make herself a target by taking on the name, but there wasn't much he could do about it; it wasn't like he could forbid her from using it.

Luke stood right behind Jeza, one hand over hers to keep the gun steady, the other placed gently on her shoulder while he spoke softly in her ear. "Steady...steady...breathe..." he murmured. Jeza squeezed the trigger and a red bolt shot out of the gun, exploding the muja fruit into a pulpy fountain. Luke grinned at her, pulling back so he could see Jeza's triumphant smile. "See? You did it. The more practice you get, the better your aim will be and the faster you'll be able to fire."

Jeza gave Luke a peck on the cheek, her enthusiasm oozing out of her from the successful shot. Over on his crate seat, Kuroth smiled slightly. "So you two are...related somehow? At least, that's what I've gathered from watching the two of you..." Kuroth asked.

Luke glanced at the older man, one of his hands resting on Jeza's back while the other dropped away. "Not by blood, no," Luke informed him vaguely. Jeza smiled a little.

"I would be his adoptive daughter," Jeza said politely, and Kuroth nodded.

"That makes more sense. I noticed that Luke seemed a little...young, for you to be his _biological_ daughter," Kuroth said with a hint of amusement. Luke brushed the comment off instead of getting aggravated about it; it was understandable. Instead, he got three more mujas out of the same crate and placed them at varying heights and positions so Jeza could continue practicing.

"Keep practicing," Luke murmured softly to Jeza, adjusting Jeza's handling of the gun a little before he stepped away again. While Jeza took aim, Kuroth spoke again.

"So earlier, you said that you aren't a Jedi _anymore_; why is that? As a matter of fact, how did you two even end up on that planet in the first place?" Kuroth asked. He seemed to think they were innocent enough of questions, but in the next moment it was obvious that he had struck a nerve. Luke went rigid and Jeza reflexively squeezed the trigger of the blaster and the shot went wild, knocking a crate to the floor and spilling its contents onto the cargo bay floor.

Without a word, Luke brushed past the two of them and out of the cargo bay, waving his hand slightly to fix the mess with the Force on his way out. His other hand remained clenched in a painful fist the entire way to the cockpit.

* * *

Kuroth stared at the door that Luke had stormed out of looking utterly lost. "I didn't mean to offend him…what did I say?"

Jeza shot Kuroth a look, arching an eyebrow at him. "You _might_ have just dragged up a rather painful and dark part of his life."

Kuroth looked taken aback. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean too; I didn't know," he stuttered out in apology. Jeza waved the apology off—a habit she had picked up from Luke.

"Its fine, you didn't know, and I'm guessing that's why he just left instead of getting angry at you or something. Though I will say I've never seen Father angry."

Kuroth shifted on his crate seat. "See, there's one of the things I don't understand; how did he end up your adoptive Father?"

Jeza smiled slightly at the man. If she hadn't been forgiving and understanding by her nature—another thing she was sure that she'd picked up on from Luke, or at least had it strengthened by the man—she would have shut Kuroth down and put an end to his questions. Instead, however, she turned her attention back to the muja fruits she was supposed to be practicing on and spoke in a very quiet voice.

"My entire village was destroyed except me and an older woman I'd known as a little girl called Denna. I was ten—almost eleven—when it happened. Denna took care of me until she became so sick she couldn't leave her bed. That's when Luke arrived. He swore to Denna that he would take care of me, and he has done just that—even more so sometimes—since that day."

Jeza squeezed the trigger, just missing the muja fruit that was the highest up. She could see the scorch mark on the fruits skin, indicating how close she had come.

"He sounds like a very good man," Kuroth noted with a hint of reverence in his voice. Obviously that had not been the story he was expecting, but he had managed to keep his politician mask—as Luke called it—in place.

"He is. He's kind and gentle, understanding and patient, protective and calm, wise and resilient, and resourceful and comforting…I couldn't have asked for anyone better…" Jeza mumbled. Her mind wandered back to one of those first days that it had been just her and Luke on Xenon, back in a cave with only one blanket that Luke had thought to grab on the way out of the village and Luke's cloak folded up into a black pad acting as her pillow…

_She woke deathly afraid from her nightmare, unable to shake the sight of the yellow eyed monster that had killed everyone in her village including her own parents, sleeping soundly on the couch before they were slaughtered in their sleep before he very eyes as she'd peered through the crack in her bedroom door. Even now she sobbed as she had after the monster had left and she'd gone to her parent's sides, pleading for them to wake up and say something, to be all right…_

_A gentle, kind hand touched her trembling head. "Jeza…?"_

_Instinctively, Jeza pulled away from the stranger fearfully, gazing in wide eyed terror up at him while he too withdrew, a strange look of pain and guilt flashing across his face before he retreated back to his side of the cave. She'd left the village with him earlier because she'd had no other choice and she was too exhausted to resist him otherwise. Still, fresh from her nightmare, she couldn't help but think of how this stranger—Luke—had the same face as the monster, and because of Denna's shrieks when Luke had entered that room Jeza was sure that he was the one responsible for what had happened to them._

_And yet…_

_He didn't look like that monster at the same time. There were dark circles under his eyes and, although he obviously tried to hide it, his eyes were constantly red like he had been crying. Instead of the blazing golden eyes of the monster he had clear, bright blue eyes that seemed so sad and defeated. He didn't move like the monster had, but was a little slow in his movements, his shoulder's wilted like they held a great weight while he kept his head bowed low in apparent shame. Even now, he was curled up into himself, lying on the cold stone floor without a complaint even while his shivers were bordering on violent._

_And a lot could be said about a person by their touch. Her mother had always been soft and gentle with her, and her father had been firm and loving. The mean man down the block had once yanked her around and shook her, while another had even hit her in his anger. This Luke had been nothing but soft and careful with her; kind and gentle. Even now, he suffered in the cold so that she could be warm and remained on the hard stone floor so she could be comfortable. He was the human who had torn through her village that night, but he was not the same person. He was so much different…_

_Jeza stood up from her spot in the cave, shuffling over to Luke before she draped the blanket over his shoulders. Luke's eyes blinked open in surprise and he glanced at her, confused for a few moments as he stared at the young child that was currently wrapping his cloak around her shoulders for warmth instead of having it act like a pillow. Luke started to take the blanket off, shaking his head._

"_No Jeza, it's yours," he said quietly, offering it to the child once again. Jeza ignored him, instead walking around him and pulling it back over him. Jeza couldn't help but notice that Luke was taking care not to touch her again, and his gaze seemed both weary and wary. In fact, he went completely rigid in shock when the child curled up next to him, using his chest as a pillow while his cloak acted as her own separate blanket._

"_You need it more," she mumbled innocently. Luke remained still for several long moments before he finally relaxed, hesitantly putting an arm around the child to pull her closer both for warmth and so they could both fit under the blanket he was already rearranging to cover the both of them._

"So how did _he_ end up on that planet?" Kuroth asked, pulling Jeza from the memory. Jeza sighed, taking a rather half-hearted shot at the muja fruit and watching it miss to barrel into the wall and leave a nasty scorch mark.

"He was exiled there…" she muttered, taking aim again. Oh, what an interesting conversation it had been when Luke had finally told her his full story. He'd waited until she was older to give her the truth of what had happened to him, and she couldn't help but feel like none of it had been fair.

Kuroth seemed surprised by this revelation. "Exiled? But why would he be exiled? That just…"

"Doesn't fit? Doesn't add up?" Jeza supplied for him. She fired the blaster again, and the muja fruit erupted into another pulpy fountain, causing her to move onto the second muja fruit that was further away. "Some…bad things happened to him and he was backed into doing a lot of…well…_evil_ things. I'm afraid there's no other word for it. He was kicked out of the Jedi Order and exiled even though he was completely repentant and nothing like the…the monster he had become for that short period of time. He is not the man that he was in those dark times; far from it in fact."

"I believe you," Kuroth said quietly, watching her closely as she took aim at another muja fruit and shot it into oblivion like its two companions. Jeza shook her head, her lekkus swaying from side to side from the action.

"It's been…years since all of that happened but…he's still haunted by his past and by his demons. He'll have nightmares almost every night…vivid flashbacks triggered by seemingly every day occurrences…it left a deep scar on him, and I don't think it will ever go away."

"Is there anything I could do?" Kuroth suggested. Jeza was slightly thrown off by the proposition, and smiled sadly at the elderly man.

"No offense Mr. Kuroth, but I don't think there's anything that anyone can do," Jeza told him gently. To her surprise, Kuroth smiled.

"You'd be surprised little one; you would be surprised."

* * *

Luke sat in the pilot seat, chin propped on his fist as he stared unseeingly into the stars as they zipped by in the bluish blur of hyperspace. He was physically present in the cockpit, but his mind was...elsewhere at the moment. Silently, his thumb stroked his chin as he drowned in memories and struggled to retain his center. Memories flashed by in his mind's eye…

_Never. I'll never turn to the dark side..._

_What's your price?_

_Rise Darth Eius..._

_That name no longer holds any meaning to me! It's Eius. Darth Eius!_

_There's nothing for me in the light anymore._

_How could anyone forget what I've done…I've killed so many in cold blood without a hint of remorse or mercy…I'm not deserving of any forgiveness…_

_Do you think they'll take you back after all that you've done? They'll kill you for what you did, and they don't even know everything yet…_

_I broke you, I made you kneel before me and serve my every whim, I twisted you so far you weren't even a shadow of your former self. You, just like your father, became my servant; a tool in my hands for revenge every step of the way…_

_And neither of us are going to forget how you enjoyed it. How you carried out each murder gleefully, basking in their pain and screams, toying with them, drawing it out as long as possible and getting as creative with their torture as possible, never ceasing until they shattered and even continuing after that. How many Jedi did you break boy? How many did you drive to madness before they died?_

_You can say what you want, but I won. I turned you into the thing you despised, but you were the one who took it farther. Their blood is on your hands, and you will never wash it off. Just as you will always be mine…_

_Th-they're not just some accident that I can l-leave behind; Father, I slaughtered them! H-he's right; he wasn't ly-lying…_

_I know what I did; and I know not even I can forgive myself for it…_

_Luke, I want you to know that whatever happens…it was worth it to me…_

_I'm condemned, and there's nothing anyone can do about it._

_Whatever sentence I'm given...I'll take it without complaint._

…_you took her from me. You killed her! Sorry isn't going to bring my daughter back, or any of the others that you slaughtered!_

_My mistakes will haunt me for the rest of my life, and I ask for no forgiveness. _

And then there was what Sidious had said. Although Sidious had said it to his father, to Anakin, it had applied to Luke more than he cared to admit…

_At night I'm sure you've lien in bed, unable to rest because you're haunted by the faces and dying gasps of all the ones that you've killed; and the only way to quiet them would be to accept the dark side; the dark side would get rid of their ghosts, but you remain too stubborn to accept it._

Luke shook the voice from his head and blinked the memories away, as well as several tears, before he pulled out the warn holodisc that had not left his person in over five years. His thumb brushed over the activation button, and the old holopic of his younger self sitting on his father's shoulders flickered to life. Luke smiled sadly at the happy pair, unable to help the fact that he longed for those simpler days; the days before the pain and fear, before the dark side had truly tainted their happiness, before everything had fallen apart…

_Whether or not I'm brought out of my exile will be by the will of the Force._

_But this is something I have to do...and it's a path that I have to take alone._

_Cleanse yourself. Take care of Jeza._

Someone cleared their throat behind him, and Luke instantly shut off the holodisc, discreetly wiping the tears away before he turned to see Jeza hesitantly entering the cockpit behind him. Her eyes were glued in apparent wonder on the blue streaks of hyperspace visible outside of the viewport as she stepped up to stand beside the copilot's chair. She had not been to the cockpit yet, but had instead been in the cargo bay almost the entire time since they had taken off. It was her first look at hyperspace, let alone space itself.

"It's so beautiful," she murmured beside him, her eyes never wavering from the enrapturing sight. Luke smiled, gesturing towards the co-pilot's seat.

"It is, isn't it? You can take a seat if you want to; it'd be nice to have a first mate," he said with a small smirk. Jeza looked at him, startled.

"I don't know anything about ships," Jeza told him hesitantly, though she did sit down as he'd suggested.

"That's why I'm going to teach you," Luke said with a grin and slight shake of his head. He gestured towards a monitor between the two of them, slipping easily into the role of teacher and gratefully letting the action distract him from the horrid memories of a few moments earlier. "That's the navigation computer, or the navi computer for short…"

They talked for a long, long time, with Luke pointing out several key components of the ship and explaining each function, showing her how to work each device.

Eventually, a low beep sounded, drawing Luke and Jeza's attention away from their brief lesson over the communications system. Luke glanced at the navi computer before he turned all of his attention back to the controls. "We're coming into the Coruscant system; strap in, we're coming out of hyperspace."

Jeza nervously did as she was told while Luke calmed himself, focusing entirely on shielding his presence. That was another skill he had grown very talented at, although he wished he had another Force Sensitive to practice with because he wanted to see if he could possibly control his Signature to the point that no one could sense him but those he allowed to. Of course, now wasn't the time to experiment. Now was the time to focus on remaining hidden from anyone that might recognize him and report his return to the Council.

It was only because of how deeply immersed in the Force he was at that moment that Luke was able to avoid the disaster that could have happened the second they came out of hyperspace.

That moment when the bluish blur gave way to solid stars and space very nearly found them a grease stain on the side of a large carrier ship. Jeza screamed at the sudden looming structure that they were hurtling towards, but Luke remained calm—on the outside—and dipped low at a sharp angle, just barely clearing the ship and coming up on the other side of it.

Surprisingly, it was not the near death experience that had Luke shocked. No, it was the intense space battle that was on the other side of the said carrier ship that sent jolts of surprise through him.

All around was a heavy array of warships, heavy cruisers, destroyers, fighters, carriers, and even a few droid control ships, with torpedoes, missiles, lasers from laser cannons, flashes of deflector shields, and explosions of varying sizes almost as numerous as the stars were when viewed from the sky. There were ships from the Clone Wars, ships Luke had seen many times in the Rebellion, and even some Old Republic era ships all firing on each other.

And they had just flown right into the thick of it.

"Hang on!" Luke barked at Jeza, clenching the controls a little tighter as his brain automatically switched to battle mode. Of course, right now he didn't know who the enemy was, it had been over five years since he had flown a ship in battle, and the last time he had it had been an X-Wing, not a freighter.

_I didn't sign up for this_, Luke couldn't help but think as he weaved around two fighters locked in a dogfight, coming precariously close to the two fighters. Luke was sure that he could see several X-Wings in the sky, but he wasn't able to dwell on it long. As he neared one of the larger ships—a particularly menacing heavy cruiser that, to Luke's surprise, he did not recognize—he gasped and went rigid; something that was actually particularly deadly to do while piloting a freighter in the middle of a space battle. Of course, that wasn't what was on his mind; no, what was on his mind was a far more disturbing matter.

Many, many dark presences filled with much hatred and anger scattered throughout the battle were the cause of the dominating thought in his mind. Luke could sense a startling number of them all over the area of space above Coruscant and even down below on the planet's surface. Of course, the ones down on the surface of Coruscant were hard to detect, obviously masking their presences enough so they could not be located specifically. Up in space, however, they burned like furious black stars, piloting fighters, sprinkled inside of the large warships...

In fact, the unknown cruiser that Luke had spotted was a nebula for the dark side. It pulsed its dark energies all around, but hid those onboard from sight to the point Luke couldn't be sure if the energy came from one individual or several grouped in one place.

It was utterly overwhelming.

"Father! Father!" Jeza was shouting, and Luke dragged himself back into reality just in time to dodge...

_Was that a _vulture droid_?_

Luke clipped the droid despite his efforts to dodge it, and it spun away violently while he grasped the controls to regain control and keep from spinning out of control himself. "I haven't seen those in...since..."

Kuroth appeared from behind him, placing a hand on the back of Luke's seat. "What's going on?"

Luke shot him a look, preforming a rather tight barrel roll to avoid the fire of another vulture droid that had decided that it wanted to make good friends with Luke. "I was just about to ask you that," he said, his teeth grit as he leveled out and split his focus to try and activate the laser cannons to shoot down their pursuer.

Kuroth, much to Luke's annoyance, ignored his question. Instead, he narrowed his eyes on the unknown heavy cruiser that they were gradually getting closer to. Not by choice, but because the maneuvers to avoid the other craft were bringing them steadily closer to the imposing looking spaceship. "You're flying too close to it; you need to get out of its range or this trip's going to be cut short."

"What are you talking about; I need some answers before I do something I'm going to regret! What's going on, and what is that cruiser?"

"That's one of the few new Majestic-class Heavy Cruiser; they're top of the line and supposed to be limited to our government, but one managed to find its way into enemy hands and has been dealing serious blows to us ever since."

"Which side are the Jedi on?" Luke asked, swerving to avoid running into an X-Wing that was chasing down the vulture droids on another X-Wing's tail, inadvertently coming closer to the Majestic Cruiser.

Kuroth seemed to scoff at the question for a moment. "The Republic, of course. As am I, before you ask." He grew even more nervous as Luke got increasingly closer to the Majestic Cruiser. "We really need to get out of its tractor beam range, I—you—we can't afford to get pulled onto that ship."

"I'm trying," Luke growled through grit teeth. "Every time I get away from it, something comes by or fires at us and pushes us back towards us. We're being _shepherded_!"

"Surely...surely they don't know it's us? Me more specifically," Kuroth muttered hesitantly.

Luke grimaced at the thought. "If you're as important as you claim to be, then I'm sure that they recognize the ship that was carrying you. From the sound of things, those bounty hunters were under strict orders to keep you on Xenon, and considering this ship just appeared back in the Coruscant system..."

Luke figured he was smart enough to figure out the rest. Yes, they did know that this ship had him on board. Luke was willing to bet his lightsaber on that much. And now that he was on that train of thought, he couldn't help but think of what the black haired bounty hunter had said back on Xenon...

_Judro gave him the coordinates for this planet _specifically_. He said he knew that the Jedi wouldn't come here and that we wouldn't be found..._

Something about that single part of the conversation...it bothered him, nagged at the back of his mind. Xenon was an unmapped planet in the Unknown Regions, and no one was supposed to know where it was. Other than some of the Jedi of course, though the only one who knew where he'd been exiled was a single Council Member who had been given charge to look over the coordinates. He couldn't help but feel like something was off, but at the same time he couldn't quite put his finger on just what it was.

Jeza clutched at Luke's arm rather tightly when one of the laser cannons struck a hit on their port side, and Luke grit his teeth as the ship rattled slightly. "Jeza, I showed you where the deflector shield display is, can you tell me what percent the port side sheild is at?"

Jeza shakily turned to the monitor. "Seventy-three," she informed him.

"They got us good," Luke muttered to himself, swerving to avoid yet another X-Wing, though he was surprised to see that this time there was another X-Wing chasing the pilot with laser cannons blazing. "You can't even tell who's friend or foe," he mumbled uncomfortably.

At that moment, the ship lurched to a shuddering halt before it was slowly and shakily turned around to face the Majestic Cruiser. Luke grimaced, a distinct memory rushing to the front of his mind.

_That's no moon...it's a space station_, Obi-Wan had said grimly moments before they'd been caught in the Death Star's tractor beam.

"Father, what's going on," Jeza said fearfully. "Why can't you control the ship?"

"Because we've been caught in their tractor beam," Luke said hurriedly. His fingers were already flying over the controls as he struggled to remember what it was that Han had done...he'd changed the logs, launched escape pods...

"Now we're done for!" Kuroth said mournfully. Luke stood up from his seat, brushing past the older man.

"Come on; this isn't the first time I've been in this situation," Luke said, holding out a hand for Jeza and pulling her along through the freighter's halls. Kuroth hurried behind them.

"How are we going to get out of this, they've cornered us!" Kuroth exclaimed. Luke came to an abrupt halt and turned to stand toe to toe with the man, his blue eyes blazing.

"You said on Xenon, when you _insisted_ that my _daughter_ and I take you back to Coruscant, that you would happily entrust your safe return to my hands. This is me making sure that you get safely back to Coruscant's surface, all right? But you're going to have to do exactly as I say and don't doubt what I tell you, or you're going to get us _all_ killed. Understand?"

Kuroth seemed taken aback by the intense look in Luke's eyes before he nodded slowly. Once he'd had confirmation that Kuroth would follow his lead, he turned sharply back to the hall to head into the cargo bay again. He called the blaster that Jeza had left sitting on a crate to his hand, giving it to the sixteen year old.

"You're going to need that," he told her. Then, more to himself than anyone else, he muttered, "Let's just hope Han and Ben's scheme wasn't a one trick wonder..."


	4. Chapter 4: Eyes of the Enemy

_**Wow this chapter was...long and complicated. I'm sorry that this took sooooooo long but I wanted this chapter to be perfect.**_

_**I do not apologize for the cliffie though ahaha**_

_**I love your reviews, and I beg you to review this chapter as it is one of the ones I've been itching to write, mwahahahahahaha**_

_**Good Luck lol**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

Luke stared intensely at the flat metal sheet that made up the four slim walls that separated him, Jeza, and Kuroth from the beings that they could hear walking around even now. Their footsteps and voices echoed not only below them, but in the vent that the three were lying in as still as statues. At least, Luke was as still as a statue. Kuroth kept moving his head around and was visibly sweating, and Jeza's back was flush against Luke's front, with his arms wrapped over her chest to hold her in place and a hand over her mouth to muffle the occasional whimper that slipped out of her. She trembled against him, but Luke couldn't do much to comfort her other than gently rub her arm as he didn't want to risk getting heard while they were so vulnerable despite being so well hid. Of course, the situation would have been much better if he could have located secret compartments, launched at least one escape pod before they'd been pulled into the cruiser, or hadn't been caught in the tractor beam to begin with, but he was making do with what he could get until he could get them off of this ship.

Taking a deep breath, Luke closed his eyes and stretched out with the Force to see if there was anyone still on the freighter. There was just one, and Luke waited until the straggler's presence disappeared from the freighter before he released Jeza and reached back behind his head for the grate they had all climbed through to get in the vent. Jeza got the hint and shifted off of Luke, allowing him to scoot forward and drop out of the vent and land in a crouch in the freighter's hall just by the ramp, his cloak billowing around him just slightly before it settled back into immobility. He looked around, tense and alert for a few moments, before he cast his gaze back up into the vent.

"Come on down, I'll catch you," he hissed softly, arms wide and waiting. The next moment the gray and black blur that was Jeza dropped from the vent and into his arms, and Luke gently sat her down on the metal floor. "Are you okay?" he asked her softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine," she insisted, and he turned his attention back up to the vent.

"Kuroth; get down here."

He could have sworn he heard an indignant huff, but he didn't get to reply as the next moment he had to catch the older man before he could crash to the floor and get them all caught. "Steady," Luke warned the man before he shuffled over to the doorway that led out of the ship. Jeza stayed right behind him, with Kuroth staying behind her. He held up a hand, signaling for the both of them to stay put and wait. He could sense someone coming, and they would only have so much of a window of opportunity to slip off of the freighter and onto the cruiser...

Footsteps clanked loudly against the ramp and a lengthy brown haired man appeared at the entrance. Before the man could possibly get a chance to spot them, Luke grabbed him, yanked him out of sight of the landing ramp, and with a swift blow to the back of the head via his lightsaber knocked the man unconscious. He pilfered the blaster from the man's belt and quickly dragged him back into the engine room, hiding him behind a stack of crates before he returned to his two companions with haste and pressed the extra blaster into Jeza's hands.

"Make each shot count," he warned her. "When we run into anyone here they will be shooting to kill, not to harm or even stun."

She nodded mutely to show she understood, and Luke stood at the edge of the ramp, pushing himself deep into the Force to know what he needed to do the moment he needed to do it. He reached back and grasped Jeza's hand tightly in his own, evening his breathing before he received a definite nudge from the Force telling him to move _now_.

He broke into a dead sprint without so much as a warning, Jeza barely managing to keep up with him and Kuroth lagging behind as the trio sprinted across the hangar bay the moment no one was looking and blended into the background, crouching low behind a stack of crates to catch their breath. Luke didn't need to catch his breath like the other two did, so he took the time to scan the hangar bay to see what kind of forces they were up against.

The first thing he noted was that they would be able to blend in easily as it appeared there was no set uniform with this particular ship. The second thing he noticed, to his immense surprise, was the fact it was not only living beings that occupied the ship and made up this side's army, but droids as well. Like, Clone Wars-era droids, perhaps a few newer models as well.

Luke didn't let himself dwell on the strange situation that they were in; it had been over five years since he'd been in touch with the Galaxy, and he was absolutely sure that he had missed a lot by now. With a sigh, Luke turned back to his two charges. "I need to find a way to tamper with the tractor beam so we can get out of here. It would be easier if I knew the ship's layout, but it's going to take some wandering around to find the tractor beam controls; something that's better done _alone_," he finished pointedly. Jeza seemed to have a mini-heart attack at the thought of being separated from Luke and immediately voiced her opposition.

"No! I want to come with you!" she protested.

Luke suddenly felt like he had a mouth full of sand as he was reminded painfully of his own conversation with Ben before he'd gone to shut down one of the tractor beam power terminals. It had been the last conversation he'd had with the man while he was living.

_This is a different situation entirely_, he assured himself before he placed a hand on Jeza's shoulder. "It will be easier for me to get around undetected if I go alone, and someone needs to keep an eye on Kuroth. You're always telling me that you can handle yourself; well, right now I need you to do that for me. I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise, but until then I need you to hold your own with Kuroth."

"What if we get found out?" Jeza asked with traces of fear lacing her voice. Kuroth nodded in agreement.

"If I'm seen they'll recognize me in a heartbeat," Kuroth added.

"Then take to the vents again. I'm sure they'll raise the alarm, and I'll know to get back to you as soon as I can," Luke assured them.

"How will you know where we are?" Kuroth asked skeptically. Jeza, however, was holding Luke's gaze.

"He has his ways," she said quietly before she sighed in defeat. "Please don't be too long," Jeza plead with him, grasping his arm tightly. Luke gave her a small, somewhat sad smile.

"I won't, I promise," he muttered, pulling her close into a tight hug and kissing the top of her head. He pulled away, pulling the hood up over his face. "Just stay here and you should be fine. If something does happen, shoot fast, shoot _first_, and get to the vents."

Kuroth nodded. "Got it."

Luke cast his gaze towards Jeza one last time. "I'll be back," he promised her before he turned away from them and easily blended into the shadows of the hangar bay. Luke made sure to walk with a purpose as he had when he'd been under Sidious' control; a purpose that exuded power and stated that he belonged there and not to question him. On the inside, of course, he feared that he would be caught before he even made it past the first few chambers of the cruiser.

Thankfully, it seemed the Force was on his side. He did receive a few sideways glances, but the moment that they felt like he'd caught them staring they turned their heads and hurried away.

He was starting to think he wasn't the only hooded figure on this ship. At least that made it easier to blend in. If there were other cloaked beings roaming the ship—which there probably was considering the dark side energies that pulsed through the ship all around him—then no one would think twice about Luke so long as he kept vigilant with his charade.

Luke had to suppress a shiver the deeper into the cruiser he plunged. The dark side was everywhere and strengthening the further into the ship he delved, and the heady pull that it had on him was starting to make him feel a little ill. He still could not detect just who or what was exuding such strength in the dark side, and he had to check to make sure that he was still firmly shielded so that he could be assured that his own light side presence would not give him away.

A nudge from the Force told Luke to turn right and he did so without question. Considering he had no idea on how the layout of this ship was like and didn't have R2 to tell him where to go, he had to rely heavily on the Force.

A pang shot through his heart at the thought of R2, but he pushed it aside. He had to focus right now, he couldn't afford to get distracted.

_In there_, the Force seemed to whisper to him, leading him into the engine room, of course. Luke briefly cast his thoughts back to Jeza, hoping that she was still all right before he started to search through the many gears, engines, and control panels for the tractor beam controls. The grease-monkey in him was making it very difficult to focus on the task at hand with so many different new ship parts around him, but he managed to stay on track, trusting the Force to lead him to where he needed to be.

Luke drew deeper into the shadows and out of sight as two engineers walked by, oblivious to the black cloaked figures watching them from the shadows as they passed by, talking in hushed voices about a problem with the hyperdrive that needed to be fixed before Judro noticed there was something wrong.

_Judro._

_There's that name again._

Luke filed the importance of the name away for later, slipping easily down the small aisle he was in and coming to an abrupt halt as he finally found the tractor beam controls he'd been looking for in the first place. There wasn't a main reactor to mess with here, but he could still do enough damage to disable the tractor beam. With a grin that could be considered borderline wicked, Luke got to work rearranging wires, switching out chips, and removing anything that looked like it might possibly be important. Just to be safe, he also repeated this process for all four tractor beams.

He figured that would help more people than just his little party.

Luke had just replaced the cover to the controls when the alarms suddenly blared to life. Immediately he went rigid, and his instincts went right to protective father mode. If the alarms were going, that meant that they had found Jeza and Kuroth.

He tossed the random nuts, bolts, and other important pieces out behind him, letting them scatter all over the floor, under different machinery and, in the case of one piece he knew was detrimental to the tractor beam, through the hole in the grate floor and down into the lower levels of the engine room. He didn't stay long to know where they all scattered though, because the next moment he was flying out into the hall with his senses stretched out in search of Jeza's familiar Force Signature. He prayed fervently to the Force that she was all right as he rushed blindly through the halls and searched for her frantically through the Force.

When he located her through the Force, he noticed that she was radiating fear, and that there were several other presences following her. Obviously, they had yet to get into the vents, and that worried Luke greatly. Hopefully he could get to them before they got hurt, as it seemed he was already on a crash course for the pair. Her presence was growing steadily closer, and now that he had honed in on her it was so much easier for him to get to her.

Luke rounded the corner, knowing that Jeza and Kuroth were about to appear from the other side before he even stepped into the hall. Sure enough, the girl skidded around the corner, running at full speed with Kuroth locked in her grasp as she dragged him along behind her. The next moment found several men rounding the corner just behind them, showing that Jeza and Kuroth had not had the time to get into the vents as their pursuers were hot on their heels. Luke pulled his hood off and reached for his lightsaber to assist them, but what happened next shattered any conscious train of thought he might have still had.

One of the men fired and their shot hit home, causing Jeza to fall down instantly with a cry of pain. Before the men could converge on their fallen prey, Luke called the blaster out of the man's hand and into his own deceivingly steady hand. Before any of them could realize what was happening Luke had already shot down half of them, and by the time they did realize what was happening Luke was already finishing them off mercilessly. It was all instinctual, and he did it without a thought. All he knew was that they had _shot_ Jeza, and he wasn't going to let them live long enough to hurt her again. More tried to round the corner, but he easily shot them down as well, his hand steady and every shot true.

Once the onslaught halted for a moment, Luke came out of his trance, holstering the blaster and rushing to Jeza's side. "Jeza! Jeza, are you all right?" he asked in a rush, his voice thick with worry.

"I'm…I think I'll be fine," she said shakily, clutching her arm and trying to hide the wound.

"Let me see…" Luke insisted, gently peeling her hand away from the wound. It looked bad, but it wasn't anything serious. A flesh wound at the least. It would probably scar though, and Luke gained a bitter taste in his mouth at the thought. "You'll be all right; it's probably going to scar, but you should be fine."

Jeza nodded, letting him help her to her feet. She clutched at his arm to steady herself, gazing up and searching his eyes suspiciously for a moment. The action made him feel uncomfortable, and he shifted slightly. "What?" he asked, feeling extremely self-conscious at the moment.

"Are you…all right? Cause I thought I saw…gold, for a moment," she said pointedly and quietly, looking Luke right in the eyes.

Luke sucked in a sharp breath, breaking eye contact almost immediately and scrambling to regain control of himself and find his center again. He'd lost control, even if it had been for just a moment. He had to be careful, he had to watch himself; the last thing he wanted was to slip back into that black abyss after so much time improving.

"Yes I'm fine…I'll be fine," he said haltingly, turning back to meet her gaze once more.

"Where to now? There's bound to be more coming," said Kuroth from right beside Luke, giving Luke a mini heart attack. He'd completely forgotten that the old man was there. Voices and footsteps could be heard down the hall as reinforcements started to arrive, and Luke pulled the two back down the hall in the direction he had just come down.

"We'll have to find another way to the hangar," Luke said simply

"Did you disable the tractor beam?" Kuroth asked.

"Of course," Luke scoffed. "They won't be able to get them working for a couple hours at the very least."

"Good, that gives us a chance to get off this nightmare," Kuroth mumbled. "Hopefully they don't flee and jump to hyperspace anytime soon."

"They won't," Luke assured him. "I overheard some of the engineers talking about an issue with the hyperdrive. We've got time to get off the cruiser, we just can't waste that said time."

"Got it," Kuroth mumbled. The group turned a corner, almost barreling into a small group of the soldiers mulling around in the ship. Luke reacted instantly, taking a few of them out with his bare hands before he had to result to using the blaster to shoot down some of the soldiers that were farther away. More could be heard up ahead, and he grabbed Jeza's wrist to pull her off into a room on the right. Kuroth was right behind them, and the three backed quickly into the spacious room after the door slid shut behind them.

"Now what?" Jeza asked, her voice sounding desperate as it echoed around the room. "We've trapped!"

"Not necessarily, no," Luke murmured, his eyes scanning the room. He zeroed in on a ventilation grate on the ceiling. "There we go; that's our way out."

Kuroth cursed. "It's too high up."

"Not for someone with the Force," Luke responded easily, coming to stand right underneath it with Jeza. He stretched out a hand, and the grate ripped free while he easily tossed it into the wall beside him. "Come here Jeza, I'll toss you up."

"Got it," Jeza said, already situating her foot into his hands as he crouched down to give her a lift. Kuroth was standing by the large viewport that took up one entire wall in the room. Luke couldn't help but wonder why this room was here in the first place; it didn't seem to have any real function.

"I think the Republic's starting to gain some ground, though that's a given; I can see that more of the Jedi are out there now than when I got captured," Kuroth mumbled to himself.

Momentarily distracted, Luke couldn't help but wonder if maybe his father was out there in the firefight. That momentary distraction almost cost him and Jeza dearly. Right before he tossed her up, he felt a warning flash through the Force, and stopped himself from tossing her up into the vent at the last moment, instead tackling her to the floor away from the vent. He covered her entirely for a moment before he rolled onto his back, activating his lightsaber and instinctively deflecting the blaster bolt that was flying towards them courtesy of the assassin droid that had just dropped out of the vent.

Luke jumped to his feet, standing protectively over Jeza as he deflected the droid's relentless assault on the two of them, waiting for the perfect opportunity to disable the droid before it could get in a lucky shot. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Kuroth scurry over to stand behind the two of them, and he heard him pull Jeza to her feet behind Luke as well. Once she'd recovered from the initial shock, Jeza opened fire from behind Luke with one of the blasters he'd pilfered for her, and not a moment too soon. To Luke's dismay, the one assassin droid wasn't the only one that was using the vents as their way into the room and more were already crawling out of the vent. Off to the side, Luke saw the door to the room slide open, ushering in more soldiers. He kicked himself mentally for not sealing the door somehow with his lightsaber. He could have at least destroyed the control panel to slow them down had he been _thinking_, which apparently he hadn't.

Luke immersed himself deeper and deeper into the Force, his lightsaber a blur as he stood his ground, deflecting blaster bolts most of the time with some serious utilization of Soresu and Shii-cho with occasional offense in Djem So when an enemy got close enough. Jeza continued to fire desperately behind him, and he noticed that she was making a considerable dent in the forces that were swarming them. Still, Luke was their main line of defense and if he faltered, then they were all doomed.

Eventually, Luke found himself so steeped into the Force that all his brain registered of his movements was flashes of red, a blur of green, flashes of metal, and glimpses of skin as droids and human opponents blended together. The one thought that kept going through his head was how they never seemed to end.

Suddenly, the whispers from the Force that told him where the attacks were coming ceased, as did the flashes of red. Luke froze in his lightsaber movements, and Jeza stopped firing while Luke slowly came back to 'reality,' so to speak, and noticed that the soldiers had stopped firing and backed up. However, they all kept their weapons trained on the three, and even then the majority of them kept their weapons trained on Luke, understandably. All around in front of him was a mass of machine and bodies that was compiled of the ones he'd taken down in his Force-induced trance.

"Well I must admit; you don't disappoint," came a slightly muffled male voice with a thick Coruscanti accent. "It seems over five years in exile has done you well, despite popular belief. You've proved half the skeptics wrong simply by _living_ this long. I'll admit; I was pleasantly surprised to find out that you were still alive myself."

Luke's narrowed eyes skimmed the gaggle of soldiers fearlessly despite the fact almost every blaster was aimed at him. His skin was crawling with premonition, and the Force was whispering constantly that things were about to get much, much worse. Through the Force, he made sure that Jeza and Kuroth were still both firmly behind him before he raised his lightsaber a little higher.

"Show yourself," he called out firmly, still trying to pick out the speaker. There was a shift in the crowd and slowly they started to part as a single hooded figure slunk forward. Of course, the first thing Luke noticed was the fact that twin lightsabers were clipped on either side of the man's hips. A dual blade wielder; fun. The next thing he noticed was that the man wore a black face mask wrapped tightly around his mouth and nose that, coupled with how low he kept his hood, concealed everything but his eyes. That was the last thing he noticed, and the detail that caused him to stiffen noticeably and made the most impact on him; the eyes. He had seen those eyes before; they were the burning golden eyes that had held him fixated and helpless in his nightmares on multiple occasions.

"Tell me Luke," the man said, sounding utterly disinterested. "How are you handling the shame? Are you still having nightmares?"

Luke's grip tightened on his lightsaber as he coiled himself up, ready to spring into action. "Who are you?" he hissed, ignoring the questions and the panic that momentarily grew in his chest before he squished the feeling to the back of his mind.

"Judro," he said simply with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The title depends on who's addressing me: Sire, Excellency, Lord...Darth," Judro said, his eyes glinting maliciously. Luke was sure that if he could see the rest of the man's face, Judro would be smirking.

"Sith," Luke growled, shifting his stance just slightly in preparation for a lightsaber fight.

"Now, I don't think you have any room to be using that tone with me, _Eius_; or did you lose your memory while you were in exile too?" Judro sneered, and Luke took a step back like he had been struck.

"How—" he started to say, but Judro was quick to cut him off, surprisingly in answer to Luke's question.

"Perhaps thinking back to the planet Vulpter and three Jedi—two Padawans and a Knight—will jog your memory," Judro hissed, his eyes flashing dangerously. Luke went completely still at his words. Oh yes, it did jog his memory; so well in fact that Luke wished he _didn't_ remember.

He remembered killing the Knight first, because the young man had obviously been the larger threat and in charge of the two Padawans; he'd gutted the young man right in front of the two as well. And the female Padawan...well, he'd noticed the strong attraction the male Padawan had for her, so he'd killed her slowly in front of the male. The male Padawan, however, he'd left alive but _severely_ injured, simply because Luke had relished his agony too much to put an end to it.

Judro seemed to notice the shift in Luke's eyes, taking it as confirmation that Luke, in fact, remembered. "There...I knew that would help you remember," Judro said in an oily voice that was heavy with mock concern. "For a moment you had me worried that you truly didn't remember me."

"I'm not that person anymore; that wasn't me—" Luke stated seriously, resisting the urge to grit his teeth. Yet again, Judro cut Luke off, his tone turning sharp.

"Oh but it was! Perhaps you went by a different name but it _was_ you, _don't_ try to play games with me. You might be able to lie to yourself but you cannot hide the truth from _me_..." Judro's tone changed again, shifting to a false, sickly sweet tone that reminded Luke disturbingly of the Emperor. "I can see it all, right there, in your eyes...including that small part of you that still revels in the life you claim to have left behind. Don't try to deny it, because I can see it; it's there. Tell me Luke; has it really been over five years since you've tasted the dark side? Or have you allowed yourself a little taste here...a little there..."

"Shut up," Luke snarled. "I've had enough of this!"

Luke jumped when a hesitant hand touched his arm from behind, and he had to force himself not to react whenever his brain finally registered that it was Jeza who had touched him, her eyes filled with fearful concern.

"Fa—" she started, but Luke hastily cut her off with a sharp raise of his hand out of fear that Judro would realize the value Jeza had as leverage against him. It seemed, however, that Judro had already caught onto the scent.

"And who is this _lovely_ creature?" Judro purred, stepping closer. He halted, however, when he found Luke's lightsaber angled towards his throat.

"You'd be wise to step away," Luke said quietly, the threat clear in his voice as he gently pushed Jeza back to safety behind him.

Judro raised an eyebrow, appearing unfazed on the outside. "You're hardly in a position to make threats," he pointed out smoothly.

"You underestimate me," Luke replied evenly, holding the man's golden eyes. Judro snorted.

"No, I'm perfectly aware of your capabilities from experience, as well as your little demonstration," he said, gesturing towards the machinery and the bodies around them. His gaze slid from Luke momentarily to settle on Kuroth, and a sinister look appeared in his eyes. "However, I will admit your actions were...predictable."

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked, his tone hard. He was getting tired of all these mind games.

"Kuroth was never my real target; a nice little side accomplishment perhaps, but not the true prize by a long shot. No, my real target was you, _Eius_. I just needed to lure you out of your prison of a planet and right into my grasp. It was the _how_ and _when_ that took so long. You're a very difficult man to locate, I will give you that. Once I knew where, it was just a matter of putting all the right pieces in place."

"All of that—Kuroth's kidnapping, the bounty hunters on Xenon—it was all a set-up to get me back into the Galaxy," Luke stated out loud even though he was mostly speaking to himself as realization came over him. He'd known something was up; he just hadn't considered the possibility that it was him being lured into a trap. He should have, no matter how unlikely it had been.

"Right you are; you're compassion was legendary before, well..." Judro said, giving Luke a pointed look that caused Luke to stiffen slightly before he continued. "It was obvious that if you were faced with someone who needed your help, you just wouldn't be able to say no. Now, just as I planned, here you are."

"Well you've got me," Luke said flatly. "Now what do you want with me?"

Judro laughed cruelly, and Luke's expression darkened noticeably. "Oh, that all depends on you! On one hand, you can die," Judro said in a matter-of-fact tone, most likely smirking under his face mask. "On the other hand, you could accept my proposal and join me in bringing down the Republic."

Luke snorted softly. "No."

Judro shook his head. "Why not? Why would you stand on the side of the Republic after everything that they've done to you, after everything that they've _taken_ from you?"

"Despite popular belief, I'm still loyal to the Republic to the point I will gladly give my life to preserve it," Luke said coolly. "Also, I deserved the punishment I was dealt; I probably deserved more, but that was what the _Jedi Order_ decided to do, and I accepted my sentence without complaint."

Judro's eyes bore into Luke's, but Luke did not back down. He stood tall and defiant, showing that he would not cave. "You're making a mistake," Judro warned, his voice low and menacing.

"I've already made the mistake of a lifetime; I'm not about to do it again," Luke responded icily.

Judro watched him for a moment longer before he suddenly growled and lightning sparked to life on the man's fingertips. The electric tendrils darted through the air towards Luke, but the next moment Luke's green blade was between him and the blue dark side energy, the lightsaber absorbing the lightning easily. Judro cut off the assault, glaring at Luke while Luke simply smiled in an irritating fashion back at the man.

"If you knew half the things I've been through, you'd know that it's going to take a lot more than that to affect me," Luke said smoothly. Judro growled at him before he unhooked his lightsabers, activating both red blades with an audible _snap-hiss_ sound. Judro's men and machines stepped back, and Luke stepped forward so that he wouldn't be so close to Jeza and Kuroth and risk injuring one of them by accident. Still, he made a mental note to himself not to be lured too far from the girl as he didn't put it past Judro to hurt her to hurt Luke. In fact, he was already expecting it.

For a few split seconds, there was silence, and the two simply stood, lightsabers humming, while they stared each other down. Then, suddenly, Judro lunged forward, both blade's a blur of red as they came flying towards Luke. Luke stayed calm, his mind as serene as it was going to get right now as he calmly deflected Judro's first attack and knocked the red blades aside. Any onlooker that wasn't trained in lightsaber combat wouldn't see the infinitesimal second it took Judro to redirect himself for the next attack, but would only see that Judro continued his attack without a pause. Luke continued to stay on the offensive as Judro rained blow after blow upon him, getting a feel for Judro's style while Luke stayed on a Soresu defensive. Judro's style was mostly Djem So, predictably, but the rest of it didn't belong to any of the seven styles Luke knew. After several minutes of just pure defensive, Luke interrupted the pattern and started going on the offensive. His first swing towards Judro was unexpected, but the man was undeterred and adapted to Luke's sudden switch easily. Luke leaned away from one of Judro's blades while he deflected the other, stepping closer to try and land a blow on Judro's side. He was successful to a degree, burning the man up the side with his lightsaber before he retreated back to a safe distance to lock blades with him once again. Judro scored a cut on Luke's bicep in the next few moments, but Luke ignored the injury and pushed on.

The blades of red and green flashed back and forth for several minutes with no sign of relenting from either side. Luke begrudgingly admitted to himself that Judro was a formidable lightsaber duelist—Luke wasn't about to use his exile as an excuse for any area he had lacking as he'd been practicing and improving the entire time—and that he was going to be hard pressed to defeat him.

Luke spun out of the way of a jab at his left, coming around to clash blades with Judro once again in a frenzy of red and green. Sparks flew as their blades dragged across the floor or occasionally grazed one of the battle droids that surrounded them. Luke noticed with great unease that they were all still aiming at him, something that wouldn't have bothered him if he hadn't been locked in a lightsaber fight.

Luke had to pull his mind from the distracting thoughts when Judro gave out a loud yell, coming down on Luke with both blades. Luke brought his green blade up, effectively locking blades with Judro, who pushed down hard to make Luke cave. They pushed back and forth for a moment, caught in a deadlock that took up all of Luke's attention.

Judro's gaze flicked away from Luke, and he nodded with the most imperceptible of head motions, but Luke still caught the motion. However, it soon became apparent that catching the motion would not be enough.

There were several loud bangs, and Luke's right shoulder, right hip, and left leg exploded in fiery agony.

"Father!" Jeza screamed behind him.

With a strangled cry of surprise and pain, Luke went down, his lightsaber deactivating and rolling across the floor as Luke managed to catch himself on his hands and knees with a slight gasp. Several vehement curses ran through his mind, all aimed entirely at Judro, the Sith that was gleefully standing over Luke with one of his red blades held a mere millimeter from Luke's throat. Luke glared up at him rather hatefully as Judro spoke.

"I'm going to give you one last chance to join me Eius. If not, then I'm going to start taking things from you. I _will_ destroy you, and I _will_ take every last thing you hold dear away from you…" Judro's gaze wandered to Jeza, who stood in front of Kuroth with her blaster raised and ready to fire at anyone who moved towards her. Her eyes, however, were trained solely on Luke's kneeling form. "Starting with _her_. It's your choice."

Luke bowed his head low, breathing heavily as an old rage started to rise to the surface. He gnashed his teeth together, glaring at the floor before he turned around to meet Jeza's eyes. His expression morphed into a sorrow-filled gaze that silently begged her forgiveness before he turned his eyes back on Judro. His gaze hardened once more, and his hands clenched into fists.

"Never," he spat, and then unleashed a dangerous torrent of Sith Lightning upon the unsuspecting man.

Shouts of alarm suddenly rang through the room as Judro went flying through the air back towards the viewport, but Luke didn't pay them any heed. Instead, he pulled his hands in, focusing all his energy and his entire being in one single action he prayed to the Force he could pull off. Shoving his hands out, electricity suddenly spanned the width of the room in front of him, creating a deadly blue wall of sorts between Judro's forces and Luke's small party. Several men and machines were unfortunate enough to be caught in the wall, and their screams of pain echoed around the room.

"I can't hold this forever…" Luke grunted in a loud voice to Jeza and Kuroth. "Get out of here! Get back to the freighter, get him to Coruscant; I'll hold them back."

"Father, no! I won't leave you!" Jeza cried.

Luke sucked in a sharp breath at her words and almost lost control of the Sith Lightning. Why was it she had to remind Luke of himself at a time like this? "Jeza, take him; I have to hold them off if you're going to get out of here. You promised me you'd do exactly what I say, and now I'm _begging_ you, go now!"

"But what about you—" she protested desperately.

"Go!" Luke said sharply, cutting her off. He couldn't hold this lightning wall much longer. "I'll find a way."

"Father!" Jeza tried again.

"Kuroth, take her, go," Luke commanded, his gaze trained solely on Judro as the Sith rose from the floor on the other side of Luke's wall. Kuroth didn't argue, taking a hold of Jeza's wrist and pulling her out of the room with surprising strength. Luke squeezed his eyes shut when the two exited the door, ignoring the pain in his heart.

"I'm sorry Jeza…" he whispered. He'd never wanted her to see this side of him ever again, and yet…

Luke forced himself to focus once more on the present, and he dropped the wall of Sith Lightning, calling his lightsaber to his hand. He was trembling from the effort the lighting wall had taken as he activated the lightsaber and then threw it like a spear into the control panel, effectively locking them all in and buying Jeza and Kuroth more time. Simultaneously he pulled out the blaster from earlier and started firing relentlessly into Judro's advancing men, summoning his lightsaber back to him once the control panel was destroyed.

"You wanted me…" Luke muttered, "well, you got me."


	5. Chapter 5: Revelations

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* * *

To say that Jeza was panicking would be an understatement. Of course on the outside, she was only mildly shaken, firing at anything that Kuroth and she came across before they could be fired upon. On the inside, she was screaming and fighting the instinct to turn around and go back to Luke in favor of doing as her Father had said. Kuroth stayed practically attached to her hip as they rushed blindly through the halls of the Majestic Cruiser, hoping that they would stumble into the hangar bay by chance.

She tried not to think about the fact that neither of them really knew how to pilot the ship, or that neither of them had the piloting skills to safely get them through a space battle and to the planet's surface below.

She was dealing with one problem at a time. It was the only way she was going to stay sane.

By some miracle—Luke would have said the Force—they found their way to the hangar bay. Of course, the alarm had been raised earlier so the men would know to keep an eye on the ship, but they were also under the impression that Jeza, Kuroth, and her Father were contained in the room they had just come from. At least, Jeza thought they were still under that impression. She wasn't going to take any chances though, and she checked both blasters on her hip before she grabbed Kuroth's wrist and pulled him forward in a dead sprint towards the ship, keeping one blaster in her head and ready to fire should she need to retaliate.

Kuroth and Jeza had not spoken a word to each other as they left Luke behind; they didn't need to. Jeza's pain was obvious, with tears leaking out of her eyes and her visible shaking, it was hard to miss.

A few red bolts flew through the air towards them, and Jeza blindly returned fire as she pulled Kuroth up onto the landing ramp. "Do you know how to close the ramp?" she called after him as he rushed towards the cockpit.

"I think so," he called back. It took a few moments that Jeza spent firing at the forces that had started to bear down on them before an audible hiss sounded that the landing ramp began to rise. Jeza turned and ran into the cockpit, taking the seat that her father had commandeered not too long ago. Just as Luke showed her, she started up the ship, her gaze drawn to the hall that they had come down on the opposite side of the hangar bay, the hall that led to where Luke still was, on his own, fighting for his life…no way out…

Tears stung at her eyes but she didn't have the time to mourn. They had to get out of there; they couldn't make her father's sacrifice be in vain. Her take-off was nowhere near as smooth as Luke's had been back on Xenon, and she hit several things on her way out, but she managed to navigate the ship out of the hanger and back into open space.

Now they just had to get through the space battle and to the planet's surface. Had she not been so devastated, she would have marveled at the sheer size and beauty that was the planet of Coruscant with its many lights that made up the city that was the entire planet.

Another ship fired at them and the freighter shook slightly, eliciting a cry from Jeza. "Do you think you could try returning fire? I can hardly fly this ship, let alone fire back as well."

"Which one is it?" Kuroth asked nervously.

"That one," Jeza said hesitantly, pointing at the device timidly. This entire escape attempt was a crash to the surface waiting to happen.

Another shot rocked the freighter and Jeza grit her teeth. What was she doing? She didn't know how to do this, they were going to die!

_You're always telling me that you can handle yourself; well, right now I need you to do that for me. I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise, but until then I need you to hold your own with Kuroth._

Jeza bit her lip, taking several deep breaths to try and calm herself down as Luke's words came back to her. Her father needed her to be strong, and he believed enough in her to put Kuroth in her care when Luke could no longer take care of Kuroth himself. She would _not_ let her father down when he needed her to be strong, especially not now.

Jeza straightened up in her seat, trying to ignore the panic that was swelling in her at being in the middle of the space battle. Instead of really focusing on the battle around her, Jeza focused on getting to the surface of Coruscant alive while Kuroth fired wildly at any ship that made an advance on them. He did seem to realize the difference between Judro's men and the Republic, however, because there was a few times where he held back and didn't fire. They took several more nasty hits, and Jeza had to force herself not to panic every time the ship rocked.

Then Kuroth made it worse.

"We lost our port side shields," he said grimly. "We're trailing smoke…I think they might have hit something important."

Jeza grimaced, her grip tightening on the controls. "Just…don't let them hit us again. We're almost in the atmosphere."

"You know enough to fly the ship…do you know enough to land it?" Kuroth asked.

"One thing at a time please," Jeza said in avoidance of his question, her voice strained.

"We're doomed," Kuroth moaned.

"A little optimism would be wonderful if you want to help," Jeza said sarcastically. All humor vanished, however, when they hit the atmosphere and gravity began to play a key factor. She gripped onto the controls in a viselike grip while Kuroth practically attached himself to the navi-computer and the communications device.

"Pull up so we don't nose-dive," he told her, glancing down at the navi-computer. "And angle to the right so we head for the Senate District and the Jedi Temple; if we can somehow land at the Jedi Temple, that would be great."

"Yeah, now might be the time to mention that Father didn't get to the landing part in our first time lesson before we entered the system," Jeza said through grit teeth, leveling out the freighter so they weren't plunging so swiftly anymore.

Kuroth gave a slightly strangled cry before he regained control of himself. "No matter…how about we…crash land? I know a Jedi that's very good at those."

Jeza had to fight the urge to roll her eyes despite the situation. "Yes, well, I'm no Jedi. My father may be very skilled in the ways of the Force, but _I_ am not even Force Sensitive."

"You asked for optimism, I'm trying to give you some," Kuroth said despairingly. A beep sounded from between them and they both looked down at the device. Hope filled Kuroth's features once the beep sounded again. "We're being hailed!"

He clicked on the communications device, and a small image of a young woman in long robes and a small braid pulled off to the side appeared in blue. "Dynamic-class freighter, I'm Padawan Li'oath. We noticed your ship at the Jedi Temple, are you in need of emergency assistance?"

Kuroth clutched at the communications device like it was his last lifeline. "Yes! We do! This is Supreme Chancellor Kuroth, we were hit up in the battle and we're crash landing—"

Jeza stared at him in shock as there was audible noise from the other end and the girl disappeared, replaced by a man with long wavy hair and a scar over his right eye dressed not in robes but in a tunic and tabard with a black glove that went up to his elbow on his right hand. "_Chancellor_? Are you all right?"

"I would like to be Master Jedi, but right now I'm not. We're crashing and I'm afraid my pilot is not an experienced one."

The man turned to Jeza in that moment, who sat tense at the controls, simply trying to keep them up in the air. Understanding and sympathy filled the man's face as he took in her panicky, still tear-streaked face. "What's your name young one?" he asked her gently.

"Jeza," she managed, keeping the ship angled in the direction that Kuroth had told her.

"All right Jeza, I need you to listen very closely, I'm going to guide you through this, but you need to do exactly as I say, all right?" When Jeza nodded, he continued. "What are your coordinates _exactly_, right now?"

She told him.

"I need you to move six more degrees to the right so that you're approaching the Jedi Temple, all right? Do you know what on your ship is damaged?"

She shook her head. "No sir…all I know about ships is what I was told minutes before we came into the system."

The man visibly grimaced, but the expression was gone the next second. "That's all right, that's fine, don't worry about it. I need you to relax though, okay? Just listen to my voice, don't think about anything else. Just focus on my voice and doing as I tell you to, all right?"

Jeza gradually loosened up as the man spoke; he reminded her a lot of her father, including his soothing tone of voice. Once she had relaxed considerably, he began to guide her to the Jedi Temple. His holo-self showed that he was moving as he spoke, so he was probably going to meet them once they touched down.

Under the man's guidance, Jeza was able to reach the Jedi Temple—a structure that would have amazed her had she not been so traumatized and stressed—and ease into the structure's hangar bay. It took a moment to power down the ship, and their landing was a little rough, jolting them in their seats, but they made it.

Jeza sagged in relief and defeat in her seat, conflicted as to whether she should be happy she was alive and had made it to the planet's surface…

…or terrified that she was looking to become an orphan all over again.

Kuroth gave a whoop of relief, launching to his feet and pumping his fists in the air as if he was thirty years younger than he looked. He slammed his hand down on the button that lowered the ramp, and moved to get off of the freighter once and for all before he halted in his tracks, turning back to the forlorn Jeza. Tears pricked her eyes as she thought of Luke, his warm smile and bright laugh, how tender he was whenever he would teach her something new, his willingness to listen to her and his understanding, his bright blue eyes that she could never hide anything from…

Gone. All gone. She had no way of knowing if he was going to live, or if he was even still alive, and it shattered her heart. An overwhelming feeling of grief and loss overtook her, and Jeza leaned forward and sobbed into her hands, unashamed even though Kuroth's eyes were on her.

The old man hesitantly approached her, putting his hands on her shoulders in a soothing gesture as he kneeled down beside her. "There, there," he said gently while the young girl sobbed. Neither of them noticed the figure approaching the cockpit. "I'm sure that he will be fine; he'll…he'll find a way off of the cruiser, your father is a very resourceful man."

"We…we don't even know if he's still _alive_!" Jeza wept. "I-I can't lose him! I c-can't! He's all I have _left_! After him there's _no one_ because they're all _dead_!"

Kuroth's expression grew pained, at a complete loss for words for a few moments before his expression hardened. "There's still hope. From what I've seen, your father is a fighter, and I don't believe he'll let Judro take him so easily. We just need to act quickly if we're to rescue him."

"Rescue who, might I ask?" came a new voice from behind them. Jeza and Kuroth both jumped at the newcomer's voice, whipping around to see the man that had led them safely to the Jedi Temple. Kuroth straightened up immediately.

"Master Jedi," he said instantly, bowing in the sign of utmost respect to the man. Jeza's tear-streaked eyes were fixated on the man's crystal clear gaze, unable to tear away. His eyes were the exact same shade of blue as her father's eyes, and they held so much sympathy and haunted sorrow she could almost convince herself that she was staring into her father's eyes.

The man nodded to Kuroth. "Chancellor," he said in equal respect before he approached Jeza, never breaking eye contact with the young girl. "Why don't you tell me what happened?" he asked gently, sitting down in the copilot's chair and facing the young girl fully.

Fresh tears spilled from the girls eyes. "My father and I came across Kuroth and the bounty hunters that were holding him, and my father freed Kuroth and agreed to escort him back to Coruscant…but when we arrived we got trapped in a tractor beam and pulled onboard the Majestic Cruiser. My father had us hide and then went to disable the tractor beam, but someone spotted Kuroth and me and raised the alarm. When he caught up to us again, we were cornered and he…" Jeze choked off for a moment, fighting back a fresh batch of tears while the Jedi watched her quietly.

"Take your time," he suggested gently.

Jeza sniffled. "He stayed behind to give us a chance to escape…he's injured because Judro had him shot, but he's still up there, and I can't leave him there sir! He's all I have left, everyone else is _dead_," she forced out, wiping angrily at the tears that were leaking out of her eyes. The Jedi's gaze had turned weary when she'd mentioned Judro.

"I'm sorry Jeza, but if he's alone with Judro and injured, he won't last long enough for anyone to get to the ship, let alone rescue him," the Jedi said as gently as he possibly could. Jeza was already shaking her head in denial, but it was Kuroth who spoke.

"Master Jedi, from what I've seen of this man, he's a fighter, and Judro won't take him _without_ a fight. He'll be hard pressed to do so. On top of that, her father has the Force, and is very powerful with it. He was holding his own against an army of Judro's men before he was shot, and even battled Judro himself," Kuroth said.

The Jedi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Your father's Force Sensitive?" he asked somewhat sharply. Jeza nodded.

"Please, someone must do something, I can't lose him too," Jeza whispered, tears leaking out of her eyes. The Jedi was still for a few moments before he kneeled in front of Jeza.

"I know what it's like to lose someone close to you; I know what it's like to feel like you've lost everyone," he admitted gently. "Don't lose hope Jeza."

With that, the Jedi stood up, carefully pulling the still distraught girl to her feet. "Chancellor, if you wouldn't mind, I would like for you to stay here under our watch just in case Judro tries to take you again," the Jedi said, guiding Jeza off of the freighter. There were several people outside of the freighter, and the Jedi turned to a girl with brown hair and brown eyes dressed in a white tunic and tabard with a lightsaber clipped to her hip. "Princess, will you please take Jeza down to the dining hall and get her something to drink, keep an eye on her?" the Jedi asked the girl in a soft voice.

"Of course," the girl replied, stepping forward to gently pry Jeza away from the Jedi. Jeza turned back to the other Jedi, who stood with a dark skinned bald Jedi in a brown tunic and tabard and a white-haired Jedi with blue/gray eyes and a tan tunic and tabard. Kuroth stood at the base of the landing ramp, watching them wearily.

"Will you help him sir?" she asked desperately. She needed to know before she would let herself be led anywhere.

The Jedi nodded. "We will bring your father home young one, I promise. Could you tell us what he looks like so that we know when we find him?"

Jeza nodded weakly. "He's human, not a twi'lek, and he's wearing all black, he's got blond hair…it's kind of long, he was going to cut it before we left…he has really blue eyes, like yours, sir."

The Jedi nodded. "The three of us will go after your father, and we will do everything we can." Jeza allowed herself to be led away by the girl before the Jedi called them one last time. "Oh, and Jeza?" he called.

Jeza turned around to face him, and the man smiled a very, _very_ familiar half-smile. "You can call me Anakin."

* * *

"Are you sure that this is a good idea? All this for just one man we don't even know?"

Anakin sighed at Windu's question, adjusting his trajectory in his Eta-2 _Actis_-class Interceptor. It was a Clone Wars Era ship, but it was reliable, and Anakin would continue to fly the ship and modify it to fit the times efficiently. As always, it was painted gold, too.

"Mace, you didn't see her. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we didn't at least try to rescue her father. Besides, you know what Judro does to Force Sensitives when he gets ahold of them, and I don't think we should knowingly leave him to that fate," Anakin said solemnly.

"What exactly did happen to this Jeza's father?" Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin sighed. "Take what you did on the Death Star with what I did on Korriban, and you've got what her father did for the two of them."

He could imagine Obi-Wan flinching. "Ouch..."

"Yeah...and apparently he's all she's got left. So, in answer to your question Mace, yes, this is a good idea, and we are going to do this."

Windu sighed. "I still don't like it...and I wish she would have given us a name too, that might have _helped_."

"Just go with it; I've learned that's the best thing that you can do when you're on a mission with Anakin," Obi-Wan quipped. Anakin rolled his eyes.

"Way to bring the humor to the mission Master."

"As always," Obi-Wan said smugly.

"Well let's focus right now; we need to get on that Majestic Cruiser. Thankfully Jeza's father disabled the _Nexu_'s tractor beams; that will help when we get off of the ship."

"Yes, thankfully," Obi-Wan remarked. The three of them were unaffected by the battle around them as whenever a fighter or some other starship tried to attack them they were blown to smithereens by the other two ships. They weren't going to let anyone deter them from their goal; no amount of heavy fire would deter them from their sprint towards the _Nexu_.

"I'll take out the shield; just like the _Invisible Hand_ Obi-Wan. All you two have to do is get in the hangar bay with me," Anakin informed them. "R2, lock onto the shield generator."

Anakin received a whir in response, and Obi-Wan chuckled.

"At least this time you remembered the shield generator," Obi-Wan quipped.

"Ha, ha, very funny Master," Anakin said sarcastically.

"Can we focus? You were the one who wanted to go on this rescue Skywalker," Windu said scathingly. "Besides, some of their ships are starting to jump to hyperspace; they're making their retreat, so we've only got so long to get in, get the girl's father, and get out."

Anakin sighed, pushing the interceptor forward and taking aim at the shield generator before he opened fire. "Window's closing," Anakin warned as he pushed himself towards the opening that was rapidly closing. It was just like the _Invisible Hand_ all over again...

"Right behind you," Obi-Wan told him.

"You might want to be beside..." Anakin muttered, already angling himself ahead of time to make the tight squeeze.

The three Interceptors pulled even with each other, slipping into the hangar bay before the air lock doors could shut. Those inside took no time in opening fire on the three Jedi before they even came to a stop, but they were ready for the heavy fire. Anakin spearheaded the defense, and the hangar was cleared in a matter of minutes between the three Jedi Masters of Vaapad, Soresu, and Djem So/Shein. When the final droid fell, Anakin turned to the other two.

"Everyone masking their presence?" he asked. When they both nodded in confirmation, Anakin cast his eyes towards the eastern wall. "Good, because we're going to be going through the vents to sneak up on Judro and see what we can find out before we get to rescuing anyone."

* * *

"_Chuba!_"

Luke couldn't stop the swear word from escaping his lips in a gasp and strangled cry of pain as his chest burned in agony. He'd just been shot—again—but this time it had been too close for comfort. Perhaps it was only a few millimeters away from his heart or something else vital, and perhaps it was like someone was trying to dig his heart out with a stick and was missing their target, but he pushed himself to his feet and kept going. His lightsaber blazed in his hand as he blocked Judro's attack without missing a beat, ignoring the agony he was in with the skill only someone who'd been tortured mercilessly and pushed to their limits for over a month or more could have. He was sporting five blaster wounds: the three shots from before he'd covered Jeza and Kuroth's escape, a nasty shot in the shin from a few moments ago, and now this lovely shot in the chest. Somehow—probably that Skywalker will of his—he kept pushing through, and he could tell it was starting to drive Judro insane. He was injured, cut, bleeding, tiring, _possibly _dying though he wasn't sure about that one, but he just kept getting back up. He _would not_ stay down.

Judro hacked viciously at Luke's raised lightsaber, and Luke's arm trembled violently under Judro's assault, but he did not give. Luke allowed himself to fall to the floor, pushing his hand out and throwing Judro across the room with a Force Push to give himself time to get back on his feet and spit out another gob of blood. The only two remaining members of Judro's army—a B2 Grapple Droid and a gristly looking Aqualish—stuck to the edges of the room, only firing on Luke whenever Judro signaled them to or Luke gained the upper hand on Judro, even if it was only for a moment. When Luke managed to push himself back onto his feet he found himself dodging their fire yet again, ducking, weaving, and deflecting the bolts with his lightsaber. He was relying so heavily on the Force to simply stay standing...

He needed to end this fight now. But every time he got close to ending it, something happened to prevent that, namely Judro's two men. And Luke couldn't go after the two because every time he started to Judro stopped him.

A warning sang through the Force, and Luke whipped around just in time to catch Judro's blades. He was tiring, and he could hardly see straight anymore. How much blood had he lost again? How many injuries was he powering through? He didn't know. All he knew right now was the flash of green and flashes of red...so much red...

Through his haze, Luke saw one of the red blurs break away, felt his hand burn, and then saw the green go flying across the room. He'd been disarmed. For a second, he felt panic start to rear its head, threatening to break through as he thought that he was going to die...again.

He couldn't let that happen. He could _not_ die on Jeza.

The red blades disappeared and Luke's gaze suddenly sharpened as he used the Force to stabilize himself just in time to see Judro holster his blades and launch himself at a slightly surprised Luke. Judro's fingers closed around Luke's neck and they both toppled to the floor with Judro on top, his hands sealing off Luke's airway. Apparently if the man was going to kill Luke, he wanted the psychotic pleasure of feeling the life leave Luke's body.

_Oh yes_, Luke couldn't help but think. _He absolutely_ loathes _me_.

Instinctively, Luke's hands clasped over Judro's wrists and he fought to pull the man off of him, strangled, pointless croaks for air escaping from him. He struggled under Judro's iron grip, digging his nails so deep into Judro's wrists he drew blood while he struggled to get some sort of leverage to push the man off. Judro simply tightened his grip and slammed Luke's head against the floor, causing spots to take up most of Luke's vision. On top of that, Judro dug his knee into the blaster wound on Luke's shin, causing a guttural cry of pain to burst out of him. Judro dug his thumbs into Luke's throat, cutting the sound off swiftly.

"I do have to admire...your tenacity. You're not an easy one to kill," Judro grunted. Luke forced himself to let go of Judro's hands, reaching up and grabbing the front of the man's tunic so that he could pull him closer and then hook his arm around the man's neck. Holding on tight, Luke forced himself to roll them over so that Luke was on top before he slid his arm over to press down on Judro's neck. Judro still had his hands wrapped around Luke's neck, but Luke was pressing down to crush the man's windpipe and, if he was lucky, maybe even snap his neck. For several moments, the two men struggled, fruitless, airless gasps resonating from both of them. Darkness was gathering at the edges of Luke's vision, but if he just pushed a little more...

He heard the familiar sound of the blasters going off, and Luke suddenly let go with a gasp of surprise, arching in pain as the blaster bolt got him right in the left shoulder blade. Judro took the opportunity to blast Luke with the Force, sending Luke flying across the room and slamming him into the wall before he crumpled to the floor.

If it had just been Luke and Judro facing off, Luke would have won. If it hadn't been for the army that had been wearing him down and dealing sneaky blows he couldn't block, Luke would have won. Under any other circumstances, Luke was _sure_ he would have won. But now he couldn't even find the strength to push himself onto his hands and knees. He _could_ breathe again, and he was sputtering feebly for air where he lay crumpled against the wall, his ears ringing.

Luke felt himself turned over by something metal—the grapple droid—and then suddenly felt his right shoulder erupt in agony that he unconsciously voiced, followed closely by the sensation of having his throat pinned by two large metal fingers.

The grapple droid had pinned Luke to the floor with its pinchers. One of the pinchers had gone clean through Luke's shoulder, and was the source of his great agony that was pushing him towards unconsciousness. The other was pinning Luke's throat to the ground, both sharp sides of the droid's pinchers cutting Luke's throat and sending trails of blood down either side.

Oh, and it was electrically charged. Luke was reminded of that little fact in the next second.

For several moments, all Luke did was writher in agony where he was pinned to the floor, refusing to make any noise. The higher the intensity of the electricity got, however, the less tolerant he became, until finally he reluctantly let out a scream of agony.

He remained that way for a few moments, screaming and withering in pain, praying for it to just end all ready as he suffered from some severe flashbacks of his time in captivity. Suddenly, it all stopped, and Luke lay still, panting and trying to think strait through his daze of pain. Even though the electricity coursing through his body was gone, he started to feel the dark side encroach on him, weaving its powerful tendrils tightly around his body before it started to squeeze whatever remained out of him. He could feel unconsciousness coming, and he reached for it gratefully.

Judro's voice floated towards him as darkness encroached. "You are a formidable opponent Skywalker...And if I can't make you see reason again and join me with your return to the dark side, I will have to kill you, because I cannot afford to have you on the opposing side. But you will see reason...in time. I will do what I must so you will. Perhaps I'll pay that little twi'lek girl of yours a visit if you don't respond to the more...reasonable approaches...for now though...I want you _alive_."

Luke couldn't focus his vision, but he did manage to growl a faint last sentence. "If you touch her...I'll kill you..."

"Challenge accepted..." Judro replied in amusement, but he was so far away Luke hardly heard him. He did hear a distinct crash as if it came from down a long, distant tunnel, and voices, but after that the darkness took him and he knew no more.

* * *

_**(A Few Moments Earlier...)**_

Anakin was lucky that his broad shouldered form fit in the vents. It was a _tight_ fit, but the vents were larger than vents on, say, a freighter, so he fit. Anakin led the way, peering into the rooms they passed through the grates and straining his ears for the sounds of a fight. He didn't stretch out with the Force as he didn't want to alert _anyone_ of his presence, and instead focused his Force abilities on hiding his presence from everyone on board.

Thankfully, he didn't plan on being in the vent long; just long enough to get to wherever Jeza's father was and remain hidden long enough to see what they could gather about Judro and his men before the actual rescue attempt was conducted. If they were lucky, they might even be able to get away with Judro this time. All his escape attempts had been driving Anakin slowly towards insanity, and Anakin was determined to actually capture the man this time.

The sooner Judro was captured and this war ended, the sooner Anakin could focus _all_ of his efforts back on the same project he'd been whittling away at for over five years.

_Not right now Anakin; you need to focus on the task at hand. One thing at a time_, he scolded himself. Turning his mind away from the past, Anakin crawled further down the vents in silence, listening to the shuffling sounds of Windu and Obi-Wan behind him and for any sounds of a fight.

Finally, he could he heard the faint sound of lightsabers up ahead and visibly sped up his crawl, coming even with the grate that led down into a spacious room at a four way intersection in the vents. Anakin shifted to the side, giving Obi-Wan and Windu just enough room to push past Anakin so that Obi-Wan could rest in the corridor right across from Anakin and Windu could wedge himself into the corridor on Anakin's left.

Anakin signaled for quiet as he situated himself better, straining his ears to hear below. The rapid clash of lightsabers could be heard, as well as furious cries of frustration from one person and the occasional grunt of pain from a different source.

It seemed they had found the fight. Apparently Jeza's father was a highly skilled lightsaber duelist and Force Wielder for having survived so long on his own.

After a few moments of the clash of lightsabers there was suddenly the sound of a lightsaber hilt hitting the ground and the sound of humming blades disappeared. There was a loud thud and a few grunts, closely followed by the sounds of someone gasping fruitlessly for air and light hisses of pain from another person. A throaty cry of pain sounded, though it was quickly cut off. The three Jedi tensed when they heard Judro's voice float upwards towards them.

"I do have to admire…your tenacity. You're not an easy one to kill," Judro grunted. The three shared a glance. So it was Jeza's father that was gasping for air at the moment. Anakin wanted to jump down at that moment but the Force told him to wait, so he did, straining to hear something else. He wished he could see what was going on, but he had to rely on his hearing alone…

There was a grunt, and soon there were two people gasping for air. It seemed Jeza's father had managed to return the favor to Judro of cutting off his air supply. Silently, Anakin cheered for Jeza's father to win out, but that hope was dashed by the sound of blaster fire, followed closely by a strangled cry of surprise and the thud of something heavy hitting the wall and then falling to the floor. Both men could be heard gulping in air before Judro spoke.

"Hold him down," Judro rasped. The three Jedi could hear the chink of metal on metal and a sickening sound Anakin could not quite recognize, followed by another cry of pain. Sparks of electricity sounded, but nothing else for several moments, and once again Anakin found himself wishing he could see just what exactly was going on. As the electricity picked up in intensity, however, they eventually heard an eardrum-rupturing scream of agony. Anakin could wait no longer, and he unhooked his lightsaber from his belt, waiting for the other two to do the same.

The screaming ended, replaced with Jeza's father's labored breathing before Judro spoke again.

"You are a formidable opponent Skywalker…and if I can't make you see reason again and join me with your return to the dark side, I will have to kill you, because I cannot afford to have you on the opposing side. But you will see reason…in time. I will do what I must so you will. Perhaps I'll pay that little twi'lek girl of yours a visit if you don't respond to the more…reasonable approaches…for now though…I want you _alive_."

Obi-Wan and Windu looked sharply up at Anakin, who had frozen at the word _Skywalker_, hardly hearing everything else as he went into shock. _Skywalker_? Blue eyes, blonde hair, Force Sensitive…_return_ to the dark side…could it be…?

Jeza's father finally spoke in a weak growl, and Anakin felt his heart stop at the familiar voice. "If you touch her...I'll kill you..."

"Challenge accepted," Judro said the same moment that Anakin's brain finally came back into working order and he kicked the grate below them out, falling down to the floor below with his lightsaber ablaze. Obi-Wan and Windu fell to the floor just behind him, and they all stood up to take in the violent scene before them.

Judro's men—machine and living organisms alike—littered the floor, and blaster marks and lightsaber marks were all over the walls and floor as well. Judro had whipped around when the grate fell, revealing that somehow his legendary face mask that hid his face but not his eyes had remained in place, but his clothes were torn in multiple places from a lightsaber, and he was bleeding and sporting several burns. Even now, bruises were appearing around Judro's throat from where Jeza's father had wrapped his fingers around Judro's neck, and Judro was even favoring his right leg.

Anakin's attention, however, was immediately drawn to the limp figure that was pinned by the B2 Grapple Droid with one pincher pierced right through his shoulder and the other pincher pinning his neck to the floor. A Force net of dark energy had been weaved around him by Judro, his clothes were torn and burned, blood trailed down his neck and out of his mouth, and blaster burns were visible all over him, but miraculously there wasn't a single lightsaber burn on him besides a nasty one along his hand. At first glance, he appeared dead, but looking closer, Anakin could see the trembling, labored rise and fall of his chest. He was severely injured, and needed serious medical attention, but if they could get him out of there and to the Healers at the Jedi Temple, he could be fine. The Force net Judro had him in and the grapple droid's positioning was going to make it a little difficult though.

Anakin turned his righteous fury-filled eyes on Judro, stepping closer to the Sith. "Let him go Judro," he snarled dangerously, raising his lightsaber threateningly. Judro took an immediate step back, closing his fist slightly and tightening the Force net so much that smoke trailed up from his victim and the smell of burning flesh tinted the air.

"You're going to want to think twice about your position Master Skywalker, or your son's going to pay dearly for your actions," Judro threatened. As Anakin watched, Luke started to grow increasingly paler, growing weaker and weaker as the Force net sapped at whatever energy remained in the younger man. He would have reached out towards his son through the Force, but Anakin knew that the Force net cut Luke off from the Force and prevented Anakin from sensing him. Mentally, Anakin kicked himself for waiting so long to interfere.

Anakin's eyes darted over the three opponents they faced in the room; the B2 Grapple Droid, the Aqualish that had his blaster trained on Anakin, and then Judro. A plan rapidly formed in his mind; there was no way he was going to let Judro take Luke.

"Mace," Anakin said, glancing at the bald Jedi pointedly before he looked at Obi-Wan. "Kenobi."

Obi-Wan inclined his head in understanding and Anakin turned his attention back to Judro. "He's mine."

Before Judro had time to piece together what was happening, all three Jedi acted instantaneously on Anakin's secret signal; first name for the droids, last name for the living enemies. Obi-Wan became a blur of motion and descended on the Aqualish, Windu utilized the shatterpoint Force technique on the B2 Grapple Droid to break the droid into thousands of little pieces before it could do any damage, and Anakin…

Anakin went right for Judro.

Anakin reached out with the Force, focusing all of his abilities in the Force on breaking the Force net that Judro had wrapped around Luke. Force nets were supposed to be impervious, but Anakin was about to put that theory to the ultimate test. In an assault that was strong in both the light and dark side of the Force, Anakin figuratively slammed against the Force net through the Force, straining the bonds until they ruptured under his superior attack, dissolving harmlessly into nothing. He heard the hum of twin lightsaber blades being activated and opened his eyes just in time to see Judro cut a swift hole in the floor and disappear just as quickly. The Sith might be insane, but he wasn't crazy enough to take on three legendary Jedi Masters at once. Anakin took a few steps forward before he paused. He didn't have time to go after Judro; common sense and the Force told him as much. Besides…

…his son was here.

Anakin turned sharply away from the hole, making a beeline for Luke while Obi-Wan moved the grapple droid parts off of the younger man and Windu rushed to the edge of the hole Judro had escaped down. Anakin fell to his knees beside his son, cradling his no longer trapped form close to his chest and pushing the hair from Luke's face. Tears roamed freely down Anakin's cheeks as he let his eyes roam hungrily over the features he had not set eyes on in over five years.

"Luke…my son…my little pilot…you're with me now…you're safe…" Anakin whispered, clutching Luke's unconscious form close to him and kissing the top of the young man's head.

"I'm going after Judro," Windu proclaimed, coiling himself up to jump down the hole.

"There's no time; you said it yourself Mace, they're getting ready to retreat. We have to get off this ship before Judro takes us with him and we all end up trapped on this nightmare," Anakin said firmly, his eyes never wavering from Luke's form. He gathered his son up into his arms, doing his best to ignore how limp and deathly the younger man looked. Luke's head lolled back, revealing the already forming, nasty bruises on his cut and bleeding neck while his hand fell back loosely at his side. Obi-Wan reached over and carefully placed the hand across Luke's abdomen, his eyes searching the room around them before he reached out his hand and called a familiar yet…different…lightsaber into his hand. Just to be sure, Obi-Wan ignited the blade to reveal its brilliant emerald glow.

"It's his all right," Obi-Wan mused before he deactivated it and clipped it to Anakin's belt for him. He strode over to the door, activating his own lightsaber. "Mace, do you want to help me with this door?"

Mace hurried to his side while Anakin cradled Luke closer to him, studying the young man. He was heavier than Anakin remembered, but not in a bad way. He was muscular, well-toned, and like a well-oiled machine. He'd been taking care of himself wherever he'd been in his exile. He didn't look malnourished in any way…

"Anakin, come on," Obi-Wan said, rousing Anakin from his thought process and ushering him forward through the hole in the door that Obi-Wan had cut out with Windu. Anakin set his jaw firmly, moving forward and staying just behind Obi-Wan and Windu, letting them carve the path forward for Anakin as he worried over whether there was enough room in his Interceptor's cockpit for two. If there wasn't, than Anakin would have to make room.

The three Jedi rushed through the hall without any stops, undeterred by the sheer number of men that were thrown at them. Anakin didn't have to lift a finger, as Obi-Wan and Mace did all of the heavy lifting while Anakin focused on keeping a tight hold of his son, all the while keeping a close watch on Luke's shallow breathing.

They reached the hangar in record time with Anakin sprinting towards his Interceptor while Obi-Wan and Windu covered him from the blaster bolts that rained down in his direction from Judro's men that had also arrived on the scene.

"R2, the cockpit!" Anakin called before he even reached the ship. The trusty droid was instantaneous with the action, lifting the cockpit's hatch just moments before Anakin reached the Interceptor, jumping onto the wing with ease and sliding into the cockpit. It took a few moments, but Anakin managed to adjust his son's limp form onto his lap so that he was secure but also out of the way and allowed Anakin to continue to pilot the Interceptor. A quick glance revealed that the technicians had already gotten the shield up and running again just in time for Anakin to deactivate it...again. It seemed Anakin already had his target as he started up his Interceptor.

Anakin glanced back down at Luke's face, lovingly smoothing some of the hair out of the younger man's eyes. "I'll get you to safety, I promise you..."

Outside the cockpit, Anakin saw Obi-Wan and Windu get into their own starfighters, signaling that it was time to get out of there. Obi-Wan's voice crackled to life over the communications device.

"I do hope you have an escape plan Anakin, or else this trip is going to be cut short."

"Already on it Master; I'm even taking out some of the trash along the way..." Anakin said, carefully angling the Interceptor so he could fire at the inside control station. He could see two operators throw themselves aside for cover before he opened fire. The station went up in flames and the shield disappeared, sucking out numerous droids, men, crates, and equipment into space before the three Interceptors flew out of the hangar and out into open space before the airlock could shut again, and not a moment too soon. Right after Windu's interceptor cleared the hangar bay door, the _Nexu_ disappeared in its jump to hyperspace. Anakin sighed in relief, shifting his arm so that Luke's head wasn't at such a painful angle. Now all he had to do was keep it together until they were at the safety of the Jedi Temple...

"How are you holding up Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked softly.

"Better than I've been in years," Anakin replied quietly, his voice choked up with emotion. "When we get back to the surface, I'm taking Luke straight to the Healers. Will you please contact the others and tell them to meet me in the Healer's Wing? Don't tell them why...I want to tell them myself..." Anakin said gently, his eyes fixated on Luke as he piloted the Interceptor through the Force alone.

"I will...quite a lifeday gift, isn't it Anakin?" Obi-Wan noted.

Anakin smiled softly at the irony of it. "Yes, it is, isn't it..." Anakin switched off the communication device so that he could have some privacy as he shifted Luke a little closer.

"You're home Luke...you're home."


	6. Chapter 6: Tearful Reunions

_**Sigh...this chapter...Time for some 'Tearful Reunions'**_

_**Get it? Get it? See what I did there?**_

**_Sorry, I'm out of it lol_**

**_PLEASE REVIEWWWW!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

To say Anakin had been furious at the opposition he met when he entered the Halls of Healing would be an understatement. He had expected no one to question him and to get right to healing the horridly injured patient he was carrying in his arms the moment he called for help, but instead almost everyone had stopped and stared, refusing to treat him.

"Is this what you've all been taught?" he snapped, fury alight in his eyes. "To turn away someone in need because of your own pride and prejudice and a mistake _long_ in the past? He just saved the _Chancellor_ at risk of his own life, and he's going to _die_ unless someone treats him!"

They were obviously chastised, but still reluctant. For a moment, no one stepped forward, and Anakin's anger mounted dangerously. However, there was movement at the back of the crowd and a young Mirialan woman with light green skin and cropped jet black hair streaked with Corellian Blue stepped to the front.

"Master Skywalker...I will treat him, bring him here," she said gently, shooting a sharp look at the others that caused them to turn their heads. Her bangs fell into her sea green eyes as she turned to push several of the onlookers out of the way, paving a path for Anakin through the Healing Wing. Once they were past the general crowd she hurried her pace, leading him to a room in the far back of the Healing Wing.

"Put him on the bed," she instructed, moving to the opposite end of the room to pick up a healing crystal nestled on a corner table, as well as...

"Is that a healing crystal of fire?" Anakin asked in mild surprise. The young woman glanced at him.

"Just in case," she assured him. Gently, she started to look Luke over with a precise and swift efficiency. "He's going to need the bacta tank, that's for sure, and for an extended amount of time," she murmured.

"What's your name?" Anakin asked as she lifted Luke's chin to examine the bruises along his neck.

"Knight Saani Sedaya," she told him distractedly as she opened up Luke's shirt, a small gasp coming out of her at the sight of the blaster wound that had just barely missed his heart and the spot where he'd been impaled by the B2 Grapple Droid. Immediately she moved to heal the blaster wound, as it seemed the injury was the most important to heal.

"Thank you Saani," Anakin said sincerely. "I'm in your debt."

"Don't thank me yet," Saani warned, her hands over Luke's blaster wound as she slowly fixed the damage. "It's a miracle he's survived as long as he had. Would you please go prep a bacta tank for him while I heal some of these more pressing injuries?"

"Of course," Anakin responded, turning to leave the room. He stopped, hesitating for a moment before he turned back to the girl. "I can trust you with my son alone, right?"

Saani looked up at him. "I have my own reasons to hold a grudge against him, it's true...but I would never disregard someone in need."

Anakin studied her closely for a moment, probing the Force for confirmation he could trust her with his son's life. When he received that confirmation, he relaxed.

"I'm sorry for doubting, but...in wars like this...and matters like with him...you can never be too careful. It's hard to know who to trust," Anakin said softly.

Saani nodded. "That it is Master Skywalker...the bacta tank?"

"I'm on it," he assured her, taking one last glance at Luke before he turned to rush down the hall.

* * *

It was dark, but he was warm. He hurt, but it wasn't excruciating anymore. He was floating, but he was firmly grounded in reality, so he knew he wasn't dead. There was a sickly sweet taste in his mouth, and immediately he realized that he had been in a bacta tank. Gradually, his feeling of floating disappeared, and he felt himself lying as heavy as lead in what felt like a cloud. His arms were heavy at his side, and as the feeling in his arms returned to him he was sure that he could feel a needle in his arm. Was he hooked up to a drip?

Luke parted his parched lips, suddenly wishing for a cool drink of water as he tried to wet his lips for some sort of comfort. A soft moan escaped him and Luke took in a shaky gasp of air, grateful that his lungs didn't burn in pain from the action. Still he remained wary. Perhaps Judro was just healing Luke to push Luke's limits all over again; it wouldn't be the first time that had happened to him. He had to remain on guard; he couldn't let himself fall into any traps...

The surface he was lying on sank on his right, and a gentle hand touched his forehead. "Luke...?"

Luke's heart jumped up into his throat at the familiar voice he hadn't heard in _years_, and he felt his throat clog with emotion. A strangled sound escaped him as his eyelids fluttered open, frustrated by how blurry and blinded by white his vision was. He was, however, able to make out the blurred form of a person sitting on the...bed...beside him.

"Father," he croaked out, tears stinging his eyes as he gradually focused on the figure beside him. The imposing figure, the dirty blonde hair that now had several spots of silvery gray, and the familiar blue eyes...

The tears poured out of his eyes when he realized that it really was his Father sitting beside him, it really was his father that was reaching out to touch his cheek, it really was his father that was crying along with Luke.

"Father," he said again, louder this time but with a voice strangled by raw emotion as he reached up with his left hand to grab his father into an unrelenting hug, careful not to jostle the drip attached to his right arm. Anakin looked like he was going to force Luke back onto the bed and scold the younger man to save his strength for a moment before he too gave in and gathered the younger man into his arms, pressing Luke tight into his chest. The two men stayed like that for a long time, crying into each other's shoulders with occasional whispered words of joy and sorrow.

"I've missed you," Luke whispered into his father's shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut against the tears that were spilling forth from him. He clutched his father as tightly as he could with his miniscule reservoir of strength, holding in the sob that wanted to break out of him. "So much..."

"I never gave up trying to get you back," Anakin told him sincerely, gently clutching a tuft of hair at the back of Luke's neck as he spoke. "I kept trying to get your exile ended, kept trying to find you, I never gave up on you..."

"I didn't expect you to give up," Luke responded simply. He was perfectly content staying here in his parent's arms, twenty-nine years old or not, Luke hadn't seen him in over five years, and after everything that had happened seeing Anakin again brought a childlike, pure joy back that Luke hadn't had in a long time. Suddenly, a thought came to him. "How long have I been unconscious?" he asked quietly, pulling away. Anakin slowly and reluctantly helped Luke lie back down, but he kept a tight hold on his son's hand as he spoke.

"Thanks to Saani—the woman who treated you who's standing just outside—you were only out a few days," Anakin informed him gently. "Though now that you're awake, she should have contacted the others, who should be showing up at any moment now—"

The words had hardly left his mouth when the sound of hurried footsteps reached them, and Luke turned his head weakly towards the door. All he heard was a strangled cry of relief as a gray blur rushed towards him and fell over his chest in relief. Luke grunted in pain, but didn't let any other noise get out of him as he registered just who had thrown themself at him.

"Jeza!" he exclaimed in relief, putting an arm around the sobbing girl and pulling her closer to him. "Oh Force Jeza...you're safe, I was afraid of what might have happened to you..."

"Me? I was scared for _you_!" Jeza sobbed, pulling away and gently slapping his shoulder. "Don't ever, ever do that to me again Father!"

"I won't, I promise," Luke sighed tiredly, pulling the girl in for another hug and ignoring the strange look that Anakin was giving the pair of them; that could be addressed later.

She wasn't the only one to arrive in the doorway though. It seemed a crowd was slowly gathering, and Jeza pulled away the same time a certain brown haired Princess appeared.

"Luke!" Leia cried out in relief, and Anakin was able to gently pull Jeza out of the way as Luke's twin rushed to his side.

"Leia," Luke sighed with a reminiscent smile as he pulled his sister into a tight one armed hug and held back tears. "Force I missed you little sister," he murmured as Leia pulled him close to her.

"I missed you too Luke," she said gently. For once, she didn't argue that he was only older by a few seconds. She simply clutched him tighter to herself, burying her face in his neck. "Don't ever leave us again...please..."

Luke didn't say anything; that was one promise he didn't dare make lest he couldn't keep it. He simply sighed, holding his sister a little tighter as his limited strength permitted. He looked up at the door to see the only missing Skywalker from the scene, and just as it had when he'd returned from Byss all those years ago, he felt his eyes water once more and tears spilled over as he laid eyes on her.

"Mother," he whispered. There were wrinkles starting to play peek-a-boo on her face, and her hair was starting to gray like his father's, but she was still beautiful and lived up to the reputation of an Angel that his father painted of her. Tears spilled over her eyes as she rushed forward, and Luke needed to be helped up by his sister so that he could sit up and embrace his mother when she reached him, the pair sobbing into each other's shoulders shamelessly while the others looked on. It broke his heart to hear her crying at the same time it felt so heartwarming to hear her again. "I'm here mother...I'm here...please, don't you cry too..."

"I have every right to cry Luke Skywalker," Padme sobbed. "Don't you dare tell me not to cry."

Luke couldn't help but laugh softly under his breath. "Yes Mother..."

"Kid..." came a soft spoken voice from the doorway, and Luke looked up to see Han, Chewy, and Obi-Wan all pushing their way through the door. Luke grinned, reluctantly letting his mother leave his embrace as Han approached. Han pushed his shoulder playfully once Luke was settled back against the bed. "You and I have got to quit running into each other in medical bays, don't you think?"

Luke chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so; at least this time I don't owe you," Luke joked lightly. Chewbacca howled, and Luke's grin grew. "Yes Chewy, I've missed you too."

Obi-Wan approached, causing Han and Chewy to separate to make way for the elderly man. Obi-Wan looked even older than he had the last time Luke had seen him, but he didn't look like he was letting age get in his way.

"Ben," Luke said softly. Obi-Wan smiled a little.

"I haven't gone by _that _name in a long time. You gave your father and me quite a scare when we found you...how are you feeling?"

"Much better," Luke said, leaning his head back against the pillow. He let his gaze run the length of the room, taking in all of his loved ones in one place, reunited once more. "_Much_ better now..."

"I should hope so; it took quite some effort to get you to where you are now," came a new voice Luke did not recognize. A Mirialan young woman entered the room, a datapad in hand that immediately signaled to Luke that she was the Saani that his father had mentioned earlier. Something nagged at the back of his mind that he should recognize her; a feeling that didn't set well with him. These days if he felt he should recognize someone, they tended to be a victim or a friend or relative of a victim.

Saani continued without looking at him. "You still have to recover though. I'm sure you've noticed you barely have enough strength to move; you're going to be given bed-rest for quite a while until you're firmly back on your feet."

Luke was itching to ask her who she was, but he held his tongue, figuring that was not a question to ask in front of so many, especially if it was a question that was going to ruin the happy reunion moment that was going on. Instead, he nodded slowly. "Thank you," he said gently, trying to catch her eye. The woman's eyes flickered up towards him, slightly startled, before she cast them back down to the datapad.

"I suggest that he be given plenty of time to rest, which means the visits should be kept short and few, simply for the sake of letting him get the rest that he needs for a speedy recovery," she added, placing the datapad on a corner table that housed two crystals as well. "If you need anything just let me know."

"Actually...something to drink would be nice..." Luke said hesitantly, not really wanting to ask her for anything but also dying of thirst—figuratively of course. Saani nodded.

"That I can do," she said before she bowed out of the room. Anakin was watching Luke closely as he resumed his original position on Luke's bed.

"You know her, don't you?" Anakin asked softly, only meaning for Luke to hear. Luke met his eyes for a moment before he turned away, wanting to avoid that conversation. Everyone else settled in various positions, though all of them made sure that they were close to Luke in some way. Jeza sat on the other side of Luke, holding his hand protectively. Obi-Wan remained standing next to Padme, who sat in one of the armchairs. Chewbacca occupied another corner, while Han and Leia sat together on the small couch that occupied the room. Luke's eyes just happened to rest on their interlocked hands, and he jerked from surprise.

"You're married?" he asked, staring at the two in surprise. He felt a pang go through his heart; had he really missed that much of his family's life?

Leia shook her head. "No, just engaged," she assured him. Han nodded.

"It didn't feel right having a wedding when you couldn't be there," Han admitted. "We both decided to wait until you came out of your exile, however long it took."

Luke winced slightly at that, barely stopping himself from asking the great 'what if I hadn't come back?'

"I'm still trying to process something else," Anakin said turning his gaze towards Jeza momentarily. "I'll admit...when Jeza said that her father was on the _Nexu_—the cruiser you were on—I wasn't expecting to find that she was talking about you."

Luke tightened his hold of Jeza's hand just slightly, though he was sure that she had noticed. "I've kind of...taken Jeza in since I was sent into exile," he said slowly. Jeza sighed.

"He's being modest," she said with a small roll of her eyes. "He's practically adopted me and taken care of me this entire time; I couldn't ask for anyone better to raise me," she said, getting Luke to blush. Anakin looked like he was going to press for more of the story, but he apparently decided against it. At that moment, Saani reappeared with Luke's glass of water in one hand and syringes in the other. She placed the syringe on the table, coming over to hand the glass of water to Jeza. Jeza and Anakin collectively helped Luke sit up, but it was Jeza that helped Luke take a drink from the cup.

"Thank you," Luke murmured again. He didn't like how weak and helpless he felt at the moment, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He nodded towards the syringes. "What's that?"

"Painkillers and anesthesia; when you're ready for them of course. That's why I'm putting them over here," Saani told him.

"Okay...thank you," he said with a nod. His eyes scanned the room again and he frowned, turning to his father. "Where's Ahsoka? Galen? Juno...Mara?" he asked, whispering the last name very quietly.

"Ahsoka is out in the field right now, but she does know that you're back. The others...well," Anakin said, sighing. For a moment, fear gripped Luke. He'd been so sure that he'd sensed Mara, surely something hadn't happened to them? "Mara left the Order after you were exiled."

"She _what_?" Luke asked, sitting up sharply and accidentally hurting himself. He gasped slightly in pain, and Jeza pushed him softly back onto the bed.

"Easy," Jeza warned him. Luke nodded and turned his attention back to his father.

"Why did she leave?" he asked.

"She left to find you," Anakin told him gently. "These past five years she's been scouring the galaxy for you. Galen wanted to keep his promise to you, so he went with her to watch out for her, same with Juno. We've been trying to reach them, but we haven't been able to get in contact with them."

At the alarmed look on Luke's face, Obi-Wan cut in. "They'll go weeks somewhere out of our reach at a time; this isn't abnormal. I did leave a message for them, and when they receive it I'm sure they'll be here as soon as possible."

Luke shifted uncomfortably. What if by the time they got the message, Luke was already sent back into his exile...or worse? "Listen...I...I'm glad to be back and all...but we don't even know if I'm _back_. How do you all know I'm not going to be sent right back into my exile, or get punished for coming _out_ of my exile?"

"I won't let them send you back. I just got you back, I'm not going to lose you _again_," Anakin said firmly.

"If they try to exile you again, I'm going to have some _words_ with a few people," Padme said dangerously.

"Besides, you've gained favor with people in high places Kid," Han said pointedly. Luke frowned.

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked cautiously.

"That man you rescued from the bounty hunters. Do you know who he was?" Anakin asked. Luke shrugged.

"I figured he was just some politician that crossed the wrong person," Luke mumbled, taking another sip from his water.

"He's the current Supreme Chancellor."

Luke started coughing and sputtering almost immediately, going red in the face. Jeza took the glass from him before he could spill it or break it while Luke stared at Anakin, watery eyed.

"He's the _what_?" Luke asked in shock.

"Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic," Anakin said with a slight smile. "And I must say, he's not as bad as he acted. He's supposed to act like a bumbling clueless politician if he ever ends up in a situation like that where he needs transportation. That way whoever's providing his transportation will want to get him there as fast as possible and be rid of him. It works."

Luke ran a hand through his hair. "So...you're telling me I rescued the Supreme Chancellor, not just some random politician?"

"Yes, you did," Han said very slowly as if Luke's addled brain was unable to register anything but the slow, causing Luke to roll his eyes.

"He could technically give you a pardon and you wouldn't have to go back into exile," Padme said quietly from by the door. Luke stared at them all, heart aching over their hopeful faces.

"I can't ask him for that," Luke said quietly, looking around. "It wouldn't be right; I'd feel like I was taking advantage of him. Besides...you all know how I feel about this. I told you what I thought before I even had my trial; I'm not going to complain and I'm serving out my full sentence."

He couldn't look some of them in the eyes for the pained look that appeared at his words, but it was the truth.

"What if he gives you a pardon...but none of us ask him to give you one?" Leia asked diplomatically.

"That would be wonderful and a miracle, but I don't think it's just going to pop into his head to pardon me. I don't want anyone trying to plant the idea or even bring up the topic with him, okay? It's using him, and I won't have that," Luke said firmly despite his weakened state. He sighed, leaning back against the bed and closing his eyes as a wave of exhaustion suddenly rolled over him and a dull ache started to rise in his chest. Saani was at his bedside almost immediately, checking his vitals.

"He needs his rest; I'm afraid this reunion will have to continue at another time," Saani declared.

"Of course," Obi-Wan said graciously as he stood up. "We wouldn't want to impede on his recovery."

Everyone began to stand one by one, all be it reluctantly, but they all had to admit to the truthfulness of Obi-Wan and Saani's words. Anakin and Jeza were the only ones who were still sitting down as everyone started to murmur their temporary goodbyes, ranging from 'Take care Kid' to 'Get well soon' to 'Everything will work out, I promise.'

Luke noticed Jeza's rebellious look appearing on her face, and knew she was going to protest before she could even open her mouth. Gently, he squeezed her hand and nodded towards the group that was filing out the door. "Go on, I'll be fine." Jeza looked like she was going to argue, so he shot her a pointed look. "Jeza..."

The girl sighed, getting up slowly and reluctantly. "Don't take too long to get better," she warned gently.

Luke couldn't help but chuckle at that. "That shouldn't be much of a problem."

Jeza smiled at him before she turned to leave. "Take care Father."

When she left, Anakin turned to face Luke. Both of them seemed to have completely forgotten Saani over in the corner as she checked Luke's drugs one more time.

"It's going to take some time to get used to hearing my son get called Father," Anakin said quietly. "How did you come across her?"

Luke looked away. "She was...already on Xenon. There used to be a settlement there, but only Jeza and her guardian Denna were left. Denna died the day I arrived, and had me promise to take care of Jeza."

Anakin studied him for a moment. "You're leaving something out."

"It's something I don't feel like bringing up right now," Luke admitted. Anakin reluctantly stood up.

"Well...rest assured that she will be taken care of while you're recovering," Anakin said, getting ready to leave. Before he could, Luke reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Father," he said, his tone suddenly serious and grim. Anakin turned in surprise, studying Luke's gaze closely.

"Yes Luke?"

"I want you to promise me..." Luke hesitated, picking out his words very carefully as he knew he was about to tread on some toes. "...that if I _ever_ fall again, you'll kill me before I fall too far."

Anakin pulled his hand out of Luke's grasp like Luke had bitten him. "Luke, don't talk like that—"

"I'm serious," Luke said, his expression determined. "I cannot allow myself to go through that again; I cannot bear the thought of such a thing happening again. That's why I am _begging_ you; _if_ it ever happens, I need to know that you'll stop me before I can hurt anyone. I cannot bear the thought of what will happen if I am ever consumed by the dark side again."

"Luke, you know I can't do that," Anakin said softly.

"You'll have to; cause if I fall again I don't know if there is anything that will bring me back like last time. I'm not saying I will, I'm just saying if it ever happens, please, kill me. And I'm telling you now so that you'll know it's what I want..."

A fiery look entered Anakin's eyes and he set his jaw in firm determination, clasping Luke's hand in his own. "It won't happen again Luke. You don't have to ask me to do that, cause I won't have to." He sighed, grasping Luke's shoulder. "Now get some rest son...you need it."

Luke said nothing, watching wearily as Anakin left the room before he leaned back onto the bed with a groan. Saani approached the bed and made Luke jump when she spoke. He'd completely forgotten she was there.

"It looks like you need this more than I thought," Saani said, leaning over to inject the first drug—most likely the painkillers—into Luke's drip. He settled back into the hospital bed, shifting to make sure he really was comfortable so he wouldn't wake up with any new pains.

"Mhm...you might need to give me a prescription just for the headache that's going to meet me outside these walls," Luke said, trying to joke. He succeeded in getting a small smile out of the woman before she turned somber again. The drugs were already starting to kick in; he could feel the beginning effects. Saani called the other syringe to her hand through the Force, but before she could administer the anesthesia, Luke spoke again. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

Saani froze and looked sharply up at him, startled. "What?"

Luke met her sea green eyes straight on. "I've decided to make it a point to remember faces and names with all the ghosts that have been showing up from my past recently. I'm sorry; I wish I could take it back but I can't. All I can do is repeatedly apologize and know that will never be enough."

Saani looked away, unable to look him in the eyes as the painful memory was brought right to the front of her mind. He waited patiently, trying to remember the specifics of the wrong he had done Saani in the silence. He remembered a very young Padawan...

"He was only twelve," Saani said bitterly, and Luke felt a spasm of emotional pain go through him. That was only roughly two years older than Jeza had been when Luke had taken her in.

"I'm so sorry..." Luke whispered, his voice breaking.

Saani looked up at him. "Well...your father had a point when he said it was in the past, and it's not the Jedi way to hold a grudge and turn away someone in need. Besides, it's as you said; there's nothing you can do about it but apologize." She leaned over to inject the anesthesia, silence stretching between them for a moment. "The girl...there's rumors that there were entire villages that you wiped out. Her village was one of them, wasn't it?"

Luke saw no reason to lie. "Yes...it was..."

"Well, I can see that you're trying to amend your mistakes to the best of your abilities," Saani said. Luke had to give it to the Jedi Healers; they used the best and fastest drugs in the Galaxy, because it was already kicking in and causing Saani's voice to start to sound like it came from the end of a long tunnel. "So...I can't hold a grudge against you after what I've seen...but I can't quite forgive you yet...Some would say you don't deserve forgiveness...but I'm starting to think they're wrong."

"Maybe they're not..." Luke murmured.

"Maybe...maybe they just need to see what I've seen...maybe you're just too hard on yourself."

If she said anything more, Luke didn't hear. He had already slipped into unconsciousness.


	7. Chapter 7: Decisions Made

_**So, we've got some dreaming going on here, some fate decisions, some Return of the Kuroth, and then next chapter I just can't wait lol :D :D :D**_

_**Sorry I'm excited mwahahaha**_

_**For those who haven't yet, my page on Facebook is AngelDesaray of Fanfiction. I have a sketch of Luke's new lightsaber on there, and I'll be putting up fanart and cover photos, eventually I'll do sneak peeks, I do update alerts, etc etc. I strongly suggest liking it. I know Luke's lightsaber isn't the only sketch I'll be putting up there, I just don't know what I'll sketch next for you guys.**_

_**PLEASEEEEEE Review!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

"So when are you going to drug me up again?" Luke asked Saani charmingly as she did her routine check up on her patient. It had been three days, and Luke had improved immensely in such a short space of time. Even now he was upright, resting his back against the raised head of the bed while he watched her with his bright blue gaze.

Saani couldn't help but snicker at his question. Luke was really starting to grow on her by now; it was hard not to be charmed by him once you got past all the sadness that hung around the man more often than not. "You know you're only getting the painkiller's morning and night now."

"And the middle of the day," Luke added, playing with his fingernails absentmindedly before he leaned back again and watched her mess with his drip. "I will admit, I won't miss being hooked up to this thing."

"You're not out of the woods yet Skywalker, don't get ahead of yourself."

The smile slipped off of his face almost instantly. Saani was also getting used to his mood swings. "I've still got a lot of problems to face...though I think some of them are going to find me today."

Saani frowned, looking him over worriedly. "What are you talking about?"

Luke shrugged. "I can sense unrest, and I know it's about me; they're still fighting over what to do with me. Something's going to happen though..." he muttered under his breath.

Saani frowned, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I think you should get some more rest. You were tossing around a lot last night, and you look tired."

Luke smiled weakly. "Just dreams. Nothing new, really."

Saani shook her head. "Still, get some sleep. I'll knock you out if I have to."

Luke sighed. "All right, all right."

Saani smiled gently at him. "Good. If something really is coming, than you'll need your strength."

Luke returned her smile. "Thank you Saani; I owe you."

"Well then, sleep and we'll be even."

Luke simply laughed.

* * *

_He was in pain. It wasn't a new pain; he was getting rather used to feeling pain. That didn't mean he wasn't going to hurt any less, though. In fact, instead of the pain lessening, it was getting worse. A whimper escaped him despite his efforts, and he curled into a tight ball, as if that would help him feel better. A particularly painful spasm went through his chest and he felt like someone was shoving a knife through his heart, gasping in agony for several long and tedious moments. Suddenly, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, but the pain did not recede. He stayed where he was, lying as still as he could while tried to gather his breath and overcome the pain that was starting to send spasms of agony through him._

_"Luke..."_

_Luke stirred at the familiar voice, looking up to meet familiar emerald eyes. "Mara," he whispered, his voice reflecting the pain he was in. "It hurts..."_

_Mara looked at him sorrowfully, placing one hand on his cheek and the other over one of the hands that were gripping his arms in a death grip. "I know...that's why you have to stop doing this to yourself," she whispered mournfully._

_Luke jerked in surprise. "What are you talking about?" he gasped through a particularly painful wave._

_"You're doing this to yourself. All of your pain is because you can't forgive yourself, and it's starting to hurt more than just you." Luke felt pain flare through him as if someone had set him on fire and he let out a sharp cry of agony. "You need to let your guilt go, or it will destroy you, please Luke; let it go."_

_Luke shook his head viciously. "I can't," he forced out through clenched teeth. "It's not that simple..."_

_"Then you'll be consumed again, driven by your guilt and self-disgust," Mara said sadly. "If you can't forgive yourself, then you have already lost. There is a difference between accepting your mistakes, and never letting go of the past. I would have thought you knew that by now."_

_Luke was shocked into silence, watching as Mara stood and started to back away from him. A raw panic he hadn't felt in a while reared its head and seized his heart. He didn't want her to leave him here, alone to this pain. "Mara!" he called, but she had already disappeared into the darkness around. He pushed himself to his hands and knees, but he already knew it was useless; she was gone. "Mara..." he whispered, tears leaking out of his eyes as he momentarily went blind from his pain. The torment only increased as the moments ticked by, and Luke found himself reaching for what she had said to free himself of the agony that was wracking his entire being._

_"Let it go...let it go...get a hold of yourself, Luke; just let it **go**!"_

* * *

Luke's eyes flew open and he sat up with a sharp gasp, scanning the room and straining to hear over his pounding heart. There was tumult in the Force, and it wasn't entirely from Luke's dream. In fact, he could sense most of it headed towards him from down the hall, as well as hear raised voices growing steadily louder. Luke grit his teeth, shoving the phantom of emotional pain aside from his dream as he pushed himself upright on the bed, staring at the door to his room as the voices came steadily closer. He just knew that they were there for him, though he wasn't so sure he was ready for them.

The voices grew to a dull roar, and then the crowd finally reached his room. A Jedi Master that Luke did not recognize plowed through the door, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Windu, Aayla Secura, Ki-Adi Mundi, Shaak Ti, and many others followed right behind him. Their words blurred together in a cacophony of noise that hurt Luke's ears after being in peace and quiet for so long.

"—cannot stay here any longer—"

"—public somehow found out—"

"—unrest and demands punishment be dealt for violating—"

"—saved the _Chancellor_—"

"—shouldn't have let him _live_—"

"—_really_ punish him for saving someone—"

"—must be punished, he _obviously_ hasn't learned his lesson—"

"—do we even know he's not fallen again—"

"—this is _ridiculous_—"

"He's _recovering_, and you're all insane if you think I'm going to let you move him, least of all take him to a _cell_," Anakin said, his voice booming over all of them, strategically positioning himself at the end of Luke's bed.

"Master Skywalker, we've already talked about this; considering your direct personal relationship with him, you don't really have a say in the matter," another council member Luke didn't recognize said in a rather cold tone of voice.

"The Force I don't!" Anakin said vehemently, bristling visibly.

"Skywalker, he is _going _to be detained until everything can be settled now that he's well enough to be moved."

"He's staying right here, and no one's going anywhere near him," Anakin shot back, his tone sharp and warning.

"Am I allowed to speak for myself?" Luke suddenly asked loudly, drawing every eye towards himself. Luke refused to shrink under the sudden shift of attention, and instead sat a little straighter in his bed, adjusting his right arm so that his drip wasn't hurting him. When he didn't meet any opposition, he pushed on. "I'm perfectly aware that I violated my sentence when I came to Coruscant, but I was just trying to help someone. I had no intent on staying, and in fact I planned on dropping him off and then turning right back around to go back to the planet I was supposed to be spending my exile on. Your _friend_ Judro seemed to have another plan for me entirely."

"How do we know that you're not in league with Judro now?" the same cold-toned master asked him.

"Because you're not dead?" Luke suggested with a slight snap to his voice. He sighed, gesturing to himself. "This is all because I refused to join him to help take down the Republic, and I'm sure if my father hadn't arrived he would have taken me to do more. Now, I know I violated my exile, and I was fully expectant to have to deal with repercussions should I be discovered, so I won't be surprised if I'm sent back. In fact, I won't argue...as long as Jeza comes with me should you choose to send me back."

"Jeza?" Shaak Ti asked, confused. Anakin held up a hand.

"It's a long story," he said shortly. "Luke, you're not going to be sent back."

"I think that's up the majority here. I did violate my exile Father, there's going to be repercussions," Luke pointed out.

"That's not entirely true," came a new voice. Everyone's attention shifted towards the door, and a path was almost immediately made as Kuroth entered the room, dressed in his Chancellor robes and standing straight and true with a commanding, regal air to him. Kuroth came to stand beside Luke's bed, putting a gentle yet firm hand on Luke's shoulder. Luke didn't miss the spikes of disgust he sensed through the Force from some of the Jedi Masters in the room at the action. "How are you feeling Luke?"

"Better," Luke admitted quietly. It was the first time he'd seen the Chancellor since the three of them were onboard the _Nexu_.

"I believe it's time for me to pay you back for saving my life; and I might have promised Jeza before we even arrived in the Coruscant system I would try to do something to help the two of you as well," Kuroth said with a small smile. He cast his gaze around the room, straightening up. "I am fully aware now of just who my rescuer is; I did not know who he was when he saved me the first time, or the second time, but I did have my suspicions the more of his story I heard. That does not change my opinion of him. Luke did not know who I was, so I know that the person that I saw is who he really is, and I don't see him as the threat everyone has been trying to paint him as. I see a good, strong young man and loving father that's trying to do what's right despite his past mistakes, and a group of people holding an old grudge and unable to give an honestly respectable and moral man the chance to amend those mistakes."

"Chancellor—" one of the masters started to say, but Kuroth held up a hand and gave them a sharp look to cut them off.

"I stand with Grandmaster Skywalker on this matter. Luke was fully ready to sacrifice himself for a complete stranger—for the Republic—and refused to join Judro's cause even when Judro threatened his adoptive daughter's life. In fact, he did sacrifice himself. I'm sure he did not expect to come back, but expected to die on that cruiser with no one ever knowing what he'd done. I'm forever in his debt...and that is why that, as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, I'm giving him a full pardon, and we are to continue on as if his crimes never happened."

Luke sat there in shock, staring up at Kuroth's serious face as his firm and solemn words registered in his mind. "Chancellor, I can't accept that," Luke managed to stutter out.

"And why not?" Kuroth asked curiously. "I admire your humility, and the fact that you're willing to take full responsibility of your actions, but I can't help but wonder why, after five years, you still cannot forgive yourself and let go of your guilt."

Luke was about to continue to refuse the pardon before he snapped his mouth shut, his dream rushing back to him.

_All of your pain is because you can't forgive yourself...You need to let your guilt go, or it will destroy you..._

"I still have yet to let it go and forgive myself," Luke admitted quietly. "I'm trying but...I feel I haven't done as much as I could to make amends."

Kuroth squeezed Luke's shoulder. "Well then, consider this as a chance to start making those amends. You can't very well fix your mistakes if you're stuck on an isolated planet instead of out in the Galaxy trying to right the wrongs." Kuroth turned back to the others. "I am pardoning his crimes and excusing his violation of his sentence. He's allowed to wander the Galaxy to his heart's content again, and legally cannot be held accountable for what happened five years ago, for in the eyes of the Republic he has paid his debt in full. His record will be wiped clean, and he will receive full, unhindered citizenship. Whether he's welcomed back into the Jedi Order...well, that's up to the Council and Luke himself, as I do not have authority there."

"That matter needs further discussion to see where the Council as a whole lands on the issue. Though I must ask you to reconsider giving this pardon Chancellor," the same icy master said, his hard gaze riveted to Luke.

"I don't need to reconsider Master Jedi, because I know it is the right thing to do. I do not know how Luke has wronged you, but I think if you're so insistent that Grandmaster Skywalker has no opinion on the matter of his son because of personal ties, than you should not have an opinion on the matter for the same reason; personal ties to the person in question," Kuroth said coolly. The Jedi Master stiffened, but said nothing; Kuroth was the Supreme Chancellor, so how could he?

"I believe this ordeal has been sorted out for us," Anakin said evenly, his tone deceivingly calm. "Luke will remain here in the Halls of Healing until Healer Sedaya sees him fit to be released, after which he will go where he so wishes. I suggest that everyone return to their daily duties, and let him _rest_."

It took a moment, but the Jedi Masters slowly started to file out of the room, leaving only Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Kuroth in the room with Luke. Numbly, Luke slid back to lying down on his bed, trying to process what had just happened. Anakin ran a hand down his tired face before he bowed to the Kuroth. "I must thank you for that Chancellor. I cannot begin to express how much Luke's pardon means to me."

Kuroth smiled. "The honor was mine Grandmaster. After hearing young Jeza speak so highly of Luke I resolved to lift his exile when we arrived. It was the least I could do. It will take a little while to make the pardon official, but not any longer than it should take for Luke to be cleared." Kuroth placed his hand on Luke's shoulder, smiling at him. "I truly hope that this helps to pay you back for what you've done for me Luke...and I hope in time that you learn to forgive yourself and let go of the past."

"I hope so too...Chancellor," Luke said slowly. It was going to take him a little while to get used to that.

Kuroth's smile grew a little more and he pulled away. "Now, I'm afraid I must return to my duties in the Senate Building. Tell Jeza I said hello, and please, keep in touch."

"I will," Luke promised, watching Kuroth leave the room with a grateful expression on his face. He turned back to Obi-Wan and his Father, his expression still holding traces of his initial shock at what had just happened.

Obi-Wan was the first to speak. "If the majority of the council allows it...do you think you will come back to the Jedi Order?"

Luke purposely avoided looking Anakin in the eyes. They both knew that being a Jedi was Luke's life; he'd always strived for it in both of his lives with unwavering certainty. What about now, after everything that had happened? Had he really meant what he said to Kuroth back on Xenon, that he wasn't a Jedi and probably never would be again?

Luke sighed. "I...I don't know, Ben. I know I won't be accepted with open arms, and I know it won't be easy. It might be better to remain outside of the Jedi Order...at least for now."

"Are you sure?" Anakin asked with a frown, sitting beside Luke on the bed. "I know how much being a Jedi means to you Luke..."

"Right now, I need to focus on amending my mistakes with as many as possible, and regaining the trust of the Order. I'd prefer to do that outside of the Order so that I can do it at my own pace."

Anakin put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "When you're ready to come back to the Order, we'll be waiting for you, okay?"

Luke nodded. "Thank you Father...though I still have yet to figure out how this war the Republic is in started in the first place. I have no idea what's going on, how it happened...and I want to know."

Anakin sighed. "We'll talk about that whenever you're back to your full strength and safely home. Deal?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Deal." He grew quiet for a moment before he continued with his questions. "Have you heard from Mara yet?"

Anakin shook his head. There wasn't a hint of malice in his eyes as there had been when Luke was sent into exile, signaling that Anakin finally had enough time to forgive Mara and put her part in Luke's imprisonment in the past. That was something Luke had been sincerely worried about, and it relieved him to know that his father had managed to let go of that particular grudge. It wasn't just because he didn't want his father to fall back to the dark side either.

"No, we haven't received word from them yet. Don't worry Luke, I'm sure that they're all right, you don't have to worry, all right?" Anakin consoled him. Luke shifted uncomfortably in place, casting his eyes downward.

"I'm just worried," he murmured. Anakin frowned.

"There's no need to be concerned, I'm sure they're fine..." When Luke didn't respond, Anakin's frown deepened. "Unless there's something you're not telling me."

Luke sighed. "I...I had a dream before all of this happened."

The mood in the room immediately shifted to a deep seriousness. Skywalker dreams were known to be matters not taken lightly. Obi-Wan walked to stand on the other side of Luke's bed. "What was the dream about?" he asked.

Luke hesitated for just a moment before he plunged into describing his dream the night before Kuroth arrived on Xenon, sparing no details. Once he finished describing it, he explained how it connected to his concern for Mara.

"I know the two voices I heard was Jeza and Mara; that's why I'm so worried about not hearing from her. And the Sith, I think it was Judro. I can't think of who else it would be," he explained. Anakin and Obi-Wan shared a look before Anakin spoke.

"Well Jeza's fine, so I think for now it's safe to assume Mara is as well. On the other hand, there's actually a lot of dark siders running around right now. When you received your sentence, there was a lot of Jedi who felt like you had gotten off too easy and needed a more severe punishment. Judro most likely stirred up those feelings to overflowing rage against the Republic and the Order, and gathered all them to his campaign. How Judro fell is another matter that we're still trying to figure out," Anakin explained.

"I think I know," Luke whispered. Obi-Wan and Anakin fixed Luke with surprised stares while Luke cleared his throat. "Judro, his Master, and another Padawan he cared deeply for were some of my victims on the planet Vulpter. I didn't remember at first but...I've thought a little more about it since then."

"There's nothing you can do about it now though, so don't beat yourself up about it Luke," Obi-Wan reprimanded him gently. Luke shook his head.

"You didn't let me finish. Sidious didn't just want me to kill anyone I came across. I had orders to turn as many Jedi as I could, too. I didn't remember at first, but Judro was one of the ones that I turned. After I turned them and made sure they were firmly rooted in the dark side, I was supposed to send them back to infiltrate the Jedi Temple and await an order to take out the Order after Yoda died and...and you, Father, were taken care of; to strike when the Jedi were in disarray. I don't know how many I turned, it's all hazy and hard to remember, but I would dare say that not all of them are fighting openly with Judro right now if he's playing his cards right." Luke looked up at them with fire in his eyes. "You might have traitors in your midst."

"Why didn't you mention this earlier, before your trial?" Obi-Wan asked a little sharply.

"Sorry, but there were _other_ things on my mind at the time, like if I would even be allowed to live," Luke said with a bitter edge to his voice. He pinched the bridge of his nose to calm himself. "The last thing on my mind was Dark Jedi that had infiltrated the Order, though now that I think about it, I wish I had remembered before I was sent to Xenon."

Anakin stared thoughtfully at the ground, chewing on the inside of his cheek while he thought. "Do you think you could pick them out if you got the chance?" Anakin finally asked slowly. Luke eyed him cautiously.

"Perhaps...it takes a while for me to remember victims, so I can't say that I'll be very effective, and it might take me a while to find them...before you say anything though, I don't think members of the Order will take kindly to me coming in and pointing fingers at people saying they're Dark Jedi."

"We'll keep an eye out, and if we find anyone suspicious we'll bring you a holoimage and a record of what they were doing while you were...apprenticed to Sidious," Anakin said slowly. "Would that work for you?"

Luke nodded. "That could work. I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'll try."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Sounds good."

Anakin stood up from the bed. "I have to go talk to Saani; you should be cleared soon, and then you can finally come home. Your room is the same as it was the day we left; it hasn't been touched."

"Where's Jeza been staying?" Luke asked. He was surprised he hadn't asked yet.

"With me, in my Temple Quarters," Anakin assured him. "She wanted to be close to you. When we go back to the apartment I was thinking she could stay in Leia's old room. Leia moved out and has her own apartment with Han," he added at Luke's confused expression.

"I'm okay with that," Luke said with a nod. Saani entered the room at that moment, glancing between the three.

"If you don't mind, it's time for his painkillers," she informed them, stepping around Obi-Wan with a syringe so she could reach Luke's drip.

"Oh goody," Luke mumbled sarcastically with a smile he was sure looked goofy. "Is it really that time all ready?"

"Yes it is; you slept for quite some time," Saani explained, injecting the drug into Luke's drip immediately. Luke sighed in a sound of contentment, relaxing into the bed as he waited for the drugs to take effect. Anakin snickered slightly at his son's expression.

"Are we going to have to worry about you becoming a drug addict?" he joked lightly.

"Maybe," Luke responded slyly. Anakin chuckled, patting Luke's leg lightly as he stood up.

"We'll leave you to your medications. I'll talk to you in the morning if there's any developments on...well...anything."

"Goodnight Father, Ben," Luke called, watching them leave with increasingly droopy eyelids.

"Goodnight Pilot," Anakin responded softly, slipping out of the room only when he saw Luke's eyelids flutter completely shut.


	8. Chapter 8: Home Sweet Home

_**Ahhhhh...chapter 8...I've been eager to get to this part, mwahahaha**_

_**Luke's out of the Halls of Healing! Yay!**_

_**And we've got more reunions coming :D**_

**_Don't forget the Facebook Page: AngelDesaray of Fanfiction I've got a sketch of Luke's lightsaber in the photo album Sketches on there, if you want to see. I might do more sketches, but I don't know what I want to sketch yet...also, I have some fanart from this series on there._**

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* * *

The day Luke was cleared was a very refreshing day for everyone, especially Luke. The day signaled freedom for him; he was free to go home to his family, free to roam the galaxy and do as he so pleased, free to make amends with those he'd wronged, free of the Halls of Healing, and free to see Jeza on his own time. Luke had been rather restless in the speeder on the way to the apartment, but his father had not said a word about it, letting Luke shift a million times in his seat to peer around at Coruscant eagerly. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed civilization, and he'd been unconscious when he'd been brought to the Jedi Temple. Once 500 Republica came into view, though, Luke's full attention was on that sole building; home. Luke wasn't entirely on a light activity restriction, but Saani hadn't advised rushing into any battles anytime soon either. He was absolutely sure that for at least the next week he would be waving off the hands of everyone that was trying to help, but he had missed them all so much he was sure he would hardly mind.

Anakin brought the speeder to a smooth landing on the landing pad, and his father had hardly even started to shut the vehicle off before Luke jumped out of the speeder without even using the door, feet hitting the landing pad with a sound that was music to Luke's ears. He was really home.

His mother and Jeza were waiting for him, and beside them stood C-3PO and R2D2, two droids Luke didn't think he could be any happier to see. R2 wheeled ahead of everyone else, bumping into Luke's leg affectionately and whirring in excitement. Luke laughed, kneeling down to gently rub the droid's domed head.

"I missed you too R2," he said with a big grin. 3PO was hobbling towards them, talking in his usual 3PO manner.

"Master Luke, you're home! I've kept your room in perfect condition at Master Ani's request, and I do hope that everything is just to your liking. Oh, it is good to see you home again," 3PO chattered. Luke grinned, placing a hand on 3PO's shoulder.

"3PO, how many times do I have to tell you; it's just Luke," he said earnestly. At that moment, Jeza reached them, pulling Luke into a proper, full-fledged hug.

"I'm glad you're better Father," Jeza murmured into his chest while Luke gently rubbed her back.

"I am to, Jeza," Luke responded, resting his chin on her head right in between her two lekkus. He pulled away to reach over and wrap his mother into a tight hug, though he noticed that Jeza stayed practically attached to his side all the same. "Mother...it's good to see you again," he murmured into her shoulder.

"It's great to have you home again," she replied. Her hand ran down the front of Luke's shirt—the one he'd been wearing on the cruiser—and she frowned. "Why don't you go on and get out of those old things and put something clean on? I'll wash these and fix them up," she said gently. Luke rolled his eyes.

"I'm not even home three minutes and you're already babying me again," he teased gently. Padme chuckled.

"Go get changed; we won't go anywhere," she assured him.

"All right, all right, I'm going," Luke said in surrender, shuffling away from the happy reunion and following the halls by memory to his room. He paused just outside of the door, hand hovering over the control panel as a strong memory rushed back to him.

_I just don't want you thinking that all of it was a lie, because it wasn't..._

_...Mara?_

Luke closed his eyes at the memory of that brief kiss, letting it wash over him for a few moments before his hand came down on the control panel and the door slid back to reveal his bedroom. Just as his father had assured him, everything was just as he'd left it. Of course it had been tidied up, so his blankets were pulled neatly over his bed and there was nothing strewn across the floor. There was a thin layer of dust showing that the room had been regularly cleaned, but not recently. Luke smiled just slightly to himself, crossing the room towards his desk. He dug the holo of his father and his younger self out of his pocket, relieved that the small device had survived through everything. He settled it onto the desk, activating the device so that the image appeared, back in its rightful place on his desk. Slowly, he looked around the room, taking it all in from the soft blue carpet to the podracer models on his dresser. His heart ached and he closed his eyes, breathing it all in.

He'd missed being home.

Slowly, Luke peeled off his current clothes, rifling through the clothes in his dresser. After so much black and brown, it was nice to be able to pull out white trousers and a white tank top. Once he was dressed and his dirty clothes were lying on the bed in wait of his mother, he silently padded barefoot to the bathroom where he could hopefully find something to shave and give himself a quick haircut; he was in a serious need for both.

* * *

After about half an hour, Luke finally emerged, freshly shaven and running his hand through his newly tamed hair. He made his way back towards the living room, noticing that Jeza was talking easily with his parents on the couches. He smiled to himself; at least she was getting along with his parents. Luke approached them, still smiling as he listened to Jeza describe some of the hand-to-hand training Luke had given her. When the conversation hit a break, Luke cleared his throat. When Anakin looked up, he caught his son's eye and seemed to know what Luke was about to say before he even got the chance to talk.

"I believed you promised me an explanation of this war whenever I got better," Luke said pointedly as Anakin stood up.

"I did, didn't I?" Anakin said wearily. He sighed, running his hand down his face. "Where to start..."

"You said that when I went into exile there were Jedi that were upset that believed I should have received a harsher punishment, and that Judro had stirred them up to his cause," Luke supplied helpfully, walking with him towards the water fountain.

"I did, didn't I? Well, Judro claims that the Republic had become as corrupt as in the days of the Clone Wars, and that it should be purged and replaced with something stronger and less likely to be corrupted," Anakin explained.

"An Empire?" Luke offered quietly.

"Most likely," Anakin agreed grimly. "He's been gathering a mixture of all sorts of allies; anyone that will agree with him really. That's why his army is so mixed, and he'll use anything he can get his hands on from Pre-Republic technology to modern technology like the Nexu. He's been planning strategic blows to the Republic, taking key planets out from under us by stirring up rebellions and then adding fuel to the fire. The Dark Jedi he's recruited to his cause have acted as Generals or will go undercover and start those rebellions. He still has yet to really show a goal...it's caused some of the other Council Members to wonder if Judro is even the mastermind behind everything or if it's someone else."

"Like with Sidious," Luke muttered seriously.

Anakin sighed. "Yes, like with Sidious. So far we haven't seen any evidence to show there's a puppeteer for this whole ordeal, but..."

"It's best to remain open, just in case," Luke finished for him. "When I was up there...Judro sort of conflicted himself. He tried to convert me, and he was pretty determined to do it. At the same time, he seemed like he _really_ wanted to kill me; he would have if I hadn't wiggled away the few times he came close. If he wanted to turn me, why would he try so hard to kill me?"

Anakin turned to face him, studying him very closely. "You think there is someone else."

Luke nodded. "I think it's a good possibility. That or Judro has some severe personality disorder _or_ he can't decide whether he wants me dead or with him."

"All possible," Anakin said with a humorous smile. "There are skirmishes all over the Galaxy, and the best we can do is try and figure out where they'll attack before they get the chance to strike."

"You're telling me predicting their moves is like trying to see into a madman's mind?"

"Pretty much, yes. We've been able to predict some of their targets, but most of our battles are responding to attacks, quelling rebellions, or freeing planets. It tends to feel like we're one step behind."

"You need someone on the inside," Luke said quietly, staring off into the distance.

"_No_," Anakin said, so firmly that Luke flinched. "I won't accept your offer. If we do get spies in there, it won't be you; end of story."

"I think that's my choice," Luke said softly.

"It may be your choice, but I can still stop you. Besides, you've spent enough time trapped in darkness, I won't send you someplace like that, especially when you're still recovering from the last time."

"You can tell?" Luke asked, startled.

"You're much brighter in the Force than when you left, but I can tell you're still recovering," Anakin informed him gently, putting his arm around Luke's shoulders. "I understand. I struggle with my inner demons still, too. The recovery after redemption takes time it seems."

"It's harder when you're alone," Luke said suddenly. "I'm sure if I hadn't had Jeza around, I would have progressed backwards instead of forwards."

"Well you're back around family now Luke, and we'll help you in any way that we can," Anakin told him gently. Luke nodded, staring at the water fountain as the small streams of water trickled down happily.

"I just..." he started, huffing in frustration before he started again. "I just wish—"

Luke cut off as he sensed a tremor in the Force, looking up at the horizon in the direction he was sure he'd sensed it from. "Did you feel that?"

"What?" Anakin asked with a frown. He stared off in the direction Luke was facing, obviously stretching out with his Force senses to try and pick up on what Luke had picked up. A slight frown tugged at his lips. "I don't—"

"There, the ship on the horizon," Luke said, pointing at the black dot that was growing rapidly larger, coming straight in their direction. Luke moved away from his father to the other side of the fountain, staring at the dot that was rapidly taking the shape of a space transport ship that looked heavily modified even from this distance. Luke instinctively drew closer, opening up his force senses to see what he could pick up from the ship. Just as he did, Anakin finally seemed to recognize it.

"They got the message," Anakin said simply.

Luke sucked in a sharp breath, going absolutely rigid whenever he felt the familiar presences on the ship. The first one reached out in an eager welcome, while the other flung itself at him with such raw emotion Luke gasped. The ship now had a definite shape; it was sleek, black, and _fast_, as well as heavily equipped. It wasn't familiar to Luke, yet it was apparently unmistakable to his father who had recognized the ship even at such a distance. Within the next few moments, the ship had reached the apartment and was already landing on the small landing pad at the edge of the veranda. Luke stood frozen with shock, watching the ship as it lowered to touch down on the landing pad. The ramp started to lower before the ship was even on the platform, and the lowering ramp was what jarred Luke out of his stunned state.

Without even thinking, Luke found himself already crossing the veranda to meet the ramp's lone figure, who had jumped off the ramp before it touched the platform. When he took in the shock of red, Luke subconsciously broke out into a run, and the two crashed into each other right in between the veranda and the landing platform. Luke felt like he was in a dream, threading his fingers through the flaming red hair that was currently being dampened from the tears in his eyes while the nimble, strong figure in his arms sobbed into his chest in equal ecstasy. The scent of everlilies and cambylictus berries was overwhelming, but he didn't pull away. In fact, he buried his face in the wild red hair, breathing the scent in like a starving man smelling the feast before him.

"Mara..." he whispered gruffly, pulling the woman in closer and placing his hand gently in the small of her back to do so.

"Luke," Mara sobbed into his chest. "You're really back. I didn't believe it at first when I heard it—are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I'm safe now," Luke murmured. He breathed her in again, closing his eyes to savor the moment. "Force, I missed you..."

_Is this even real_, Luke couldn't help but wonder. The pair simply stood there for a moment, holding each other close before they reluctantly separated. Mara promptly punched his arm, her eyes now dry of any signs of tears.

"Don't you _ever, ever_ do that to me again Farmboy, got it?" she scolded, though she had a slight shake to her voice when she said Farmboy. Luke smiled at the nickname.

"Understood," he said in a serious tone of voice, leaning down to give her a quick peck on the cheek. The ship had finally shut down, and its other two occupants were now descending the ramp. Luke kept his arms around Mara, but his smile was still infectiously large when he caught sight of Galen Marek and Juno Eclipse. Behind them a droid descended the ramp as well, just a few paces behind Galen.

When Galen reached Luke he clasped Luke's shoulder firmly, grinning. "Over five years scouring the galaxy for you with two very opinionated women, just for you to appear back in civilization on your own. You own me buddy," Galen scolded before he suddenly pulled Luke into a strong, brotherly hug. "It's great to see you back, Luke."

Luke chuckled slightly before he sobered. "Thank you for keeping your promise, Galen."

"Don't mention it; you would have done the same for me." Luke turned his attention from Galen to the droid that was standing off to the side patiently. "Why don't you introduce me to your new companion?"

"Ah, Luke, this is PROXY, your father built him for me a few years back. PROXY, this is—"

"Luke Skywalker," the droid said in an enthusiastic voice, reaching out to shake his hand. The minute skin connected with metal, the droid changed into a perfect replica of Luke over five years ago, complete with black Second Death Star outfit. Luke was so startled he actually jumped and dropped the droids hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person Sir."

Galen grinned at Luke's reaction. "I forgot to mention; he's a holodroid."

"I can see that," Luke retorted, shaking his head. "It's a pleasure to meet you too PROXY."

"And, ah, I'm sure you've already eyed my new ship a few times. The _Rouge Shadow_," Galen informed him proudly.

"She is a beauty," Luke complimented him. "Looks like a heavily modified Imperial transport."

"It is...per say," Galen said with a small smile. "Since the Empire never existed, it's not an _Imperial_ transport, but...I understand what you mean."

Luke inclined his head to Juno, who had been standing off to the side. "Always a pleasure to see you again Captain," he said respectfully, not wanting to leave her out of the happy reunion.

"You too Skywalker," Juno replied. Luke cast his eyes over all of them again, pulling Mara and Galen in together for another tight hug.

"It's good to be home," he murmured. A thought struck him, and he released the pair. "Oh! There's someone you two have to meet," he said eagerly, turning back to the three that were gathered in the living room to give Luke and the others some privacy. Luke held out a hand, and smiled encouragingly towards the gray skinned twi'lek that was standing shyly beside his mother.

"Jeza, I want you to come and meet some close friends of mine," he called. Jeza hesitated only a moment before she slowly approached Luke, allowing him to wrap an arm protectively around the girl's shoulders. "Jeza, this is Galen Marek, Juno Eclipse, and Mara Jade," he said, introducing each person in turn.

"And the relationship between you two would be...?" Galen asked as he shook Jeza's hand.

"I'm his daughter; _adoptive_ daughter," she added at the look of shock on all three of their faces. "But his daughter none-the-less."

Luke shifted uncomfortably at the statement, but said nothing. He felt a stir of curiosity from Mara, and knew that his movement had not gone unnoticed. It would have to wait for later though.

"Well, don't just stand there all day," he said cheerily with a bright smile. "Come on inside; I'm sure we have plenty to catch up on..."

* * *

Instead of nighttime finding Luke comfortably asleep in bed, he was wide awake, fresh from another nightmare. This one had been especially vivid, full of gruesome deaths from his past and blazing golden eyes that looked too..._right_ on his face. He felt rather sick as he made his way barefoot and shirtless through the halls of the apartment as quietly as he could, hoping not to wake anyone up while he got some fresh air on the veranda.

As he made his way to the middle of the veranda, Luke couldn't help but think of another Skywalker's similar trip in the middle of the night, smiling bitterly at the irony of it all.

_It was a dream._

_Bad?_

_Like the ones I used to have about my mother, just before she died..._

_But these dreams aren't like that_, Luke said, doing his best to console himself as he assumed a spot on the couch's arm, staring into the softly bubbling water fountain in front of him. _These are nightmares of things that have already happened, things I can't change and still need to let go of...if I ever can._

Luke interlaced his fingers, propped his elbows up on his knees, and leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. Thoughts swirled around in his head, most of them unpleasant memories that had decided to haunt him tonight and mar the heartwarming reunion he'd had earlier. Mara's betrayal had been in his nightmares as well, and it was hard for him to shake the image of her holding a blaster to his head out of his mind. Tears slipped past his defenses, trailing down his cheeks despite his efforts to keep it all in.

So distracted was he by his inner musings he hardly realized there was another presence approaching him. A gentle hand on his back caused Luke to jump, turning to see Mara slowly come to a stop beside him with a look of genuine concern. Immediately, Luke cast his eyes away, ashamed that she had caught him crying.

Mara came around to his other side, sitting down on the couch beside him. She didn't ask if he was all right, and she didn't take her hand off of his back. "Do you want to tell me about it?" she asked quietly. Luke hesitated for a moment.

_Go ahead and shoot; you'd be doing me a favor._

He shook his head, not trusting his voice not to shake if he tried to speak. Mara's face fell slightly and she nodded in acceptance. "Will you at least let me keep you company?"

Luke risked a glance in her direction before he sighed in defeat, moving to slide off of the couch arm. Mara moved further down the couch, giving the two of them enough room for Luke to stretch out on the couch, his head resting in her lap at Mara's hesitant offer. Luke kept his eyes closed, fighting to dispel the memories from the nightmare while Mara started to gently brush her fingers through Luke's hair. It was completely silent in the room, the only sound the bubbling fountain and Luke's deep, somewhat uneven breathing. Eventually, Mara decided to try and distract him.

"How did you come across Jeza?" she asked quietly. Luke snorted.

"Points for trying to distract me, but that topic's not much better," Luke informed her gently.

"Best to get it off your chest sooner rather than later," Mara suggested. Luke frowned at her words.

_You need to let your guilt go, or it will destroy you, please Luke; let it go._

Luke swallowed, praying that this time when he stepped off of the proverbial cliff she would be there to catch him. "She's the only survivor of a massacre on the planet I was isolated to; the other woman was older and died the day I arrived. Denna—the other survivor, had me promise to take care of her to..."

Luke trailed off, reluctant to say much more. He did manage to push on though; he just had to try and not think about what he was saying. "To cleanse myself. I was the one who wiped out her entire village. I'm the one who killed her friends, her relatives, the one who killed her parents right in front of her, and would have killed her too had I known she was there at the time." Now that it was coming out, Luke couldn't stop. "I'm the reason she's an _orphan_, but yet she looks up to me and calls me Father. I could have killed her, yet she trusts me with her life. I'm the reason for everything bad in her life, yet she tells me she loves me and calls me Father. It hurts every time she calls me her father and I just can't see how she could possibly forgive me after _everything_, and care for me so much!"

Tears were streaming out of his eyes again by the time he'd finished, and his breathing was uneven and strained by his emotions. Mara threaded her fingers through his hair. "Oh Luke..."

He wasn't done. "Every time I start thinking about what I did to her, to her village, I'm brought back to what I did to all these people around the Galaxy, of all the pain and suffering that I caused, of all the lives I ripped apart, and I can't even _begin_ to forgive myself for it; I still don't understand how others can forgive me for it. Then I get so _angry_ with myself. I didn't know how much I could _lose_; why didn't I see that I had _everything_? Why did I _forget_ it all _so_ easily? Why did I let myself fall _so far_? Why didn't I fight harder, or try to break free—?"

Luke was cut off from his rant of self-hatred when Mara suddenly crashed her lips against his, silencing him quickly and efficiently. Luke was frozen for several long moments before he finally managed to respond, letting his lips work in time to hers. He'd long ago forgiven her for what had happened. It still hurt, but it was behind them, and he wanted her back with him; especially after being away from her for so long.

Mara pulled away after several long moments, tipping his head back so he would look her in the eyes. "Enough," she said firmly. "I knew a man that I hurt in one of the worst ways possible. Yet despite what I'd done to him, what I left him to suffer through, he forgave me and never showed any sign of doubt in his decision. He's the most pure hearted, honest, amazing person I know, and I can't fathom how he found it in himself to forgive me and put it all behind him in the past. To lay eyes on me and not run in the opposite direction, to hold me without being forced, to speak my name without any contempt, and to willingly trust me even though I threw that trust in his face the first time. Tell me Luke; does a man who so readily forgives those who have wronged him, no matter how horrid their crime against him was, deserve to wallow in misery for the rest of his life and receive no forgiveness for _his_ crimes? Or should he receive the same grace that he has shown others and finally learn to forgive himself and let go of his guilt, perhaps helped along by all those whom he has forgiven in the past?"

"Mara—" he started, ready to argue, but she shushed him, putting a finger to his lips.

"No, I don't want to hear it. "You're a wonderful person—the best that I know Farmboy...and I've missed you," she said, her tone turning soft near the end. Luke stared up at her for a few moments, tears leaking out of his eyes still.

_Let your guilt go_...

Luke shifted on the couch, sitting upright once more and turning around to fully face Mara, cupping her cheek in his hand. "I've missed you so much," he whispered. "I never forgot you. You stayed with me the entire time I was on Xenon, even in my dreams. Even with so many light-years between us, you still were there to help me get through the years, and now you're here again...and I can't tell you how much I needed to hear you say that to me."

As soon as he was done speaking he kissed her as hard as he could, pulling her close with a desperate need for her to heal him like she'd done on Byss. Now, of course, it was a different kind of healing that he needed, but that hardly mattered because Mara could still provide it, and she was willing to give him that healing. Her arms snaked around his neck, allowing him to deepen the moment between them. Her hands grasped tufts of his hair, bringing him in even closer in the passionate moment. Slowly, he laid her back down on the couch...

"Not on my couch, please?"

The two broke apart, looking up in surprise to see Anakin making his way towards the veranda. The sight immediately caused both of them to blush, though who was more embarrassed was harder to tell. They both sat back almost immediately, smoothing down the unruly hair and putting a parentally respectable distance between the two of them on pure instinct. Anakin came to a stop at the fountain in front of them, thankfully avoiding fixing the two with a fatherly stare and choosing instead to inspect a less lively part of the fountain that probably needed fixing.

"You know...I've already talked to Luke about this sort of thing, so I feel I don't have to go there, but I will say this; if you're going to do something like what I just saw, at least do it somewhere private and _not_ somewhere the family gathers on a daily basis? And make sure it _doesn't_ cross that line I've already pre-established, Luke, okay?"

Luke coughed awkwardly. He had never, ever thought that he would wind up in a situation like this, and his father seemed to have worse timing now than he had several years ago. "Got it," Luke said, still bright red.

Anakin looked like he was suppressing a chuckle as he turned to leave the room, pausing to grip Luke's arm comfortingly. "Get some sleep you two."

As his father left the room, Luke leaned over and gave Mara another kiss, much gentler and purer than the fiery kiss they'd just shared. "I'll see you in the morning," he murmured.

"Aren't you almost thirty by now, Farmboy?" Mara teased him lightly, reaching out to kiss him again.

"Hey; it's _him_. I'm not about to argue with my father. Besides...we do need to get some rest," he admitted sheepishly, kissing her one last time before he pulled away, hanging onto her fingers for a few moments before he finally made himself let go. "Goodnight Mara."

Mara's eyes followed him all the way towards the hall. "Goodnight Luke...I hope you feel better," she whispered after him.

Needless to say, Luke slept much better.


	9. Chapter 9: Jeza and the Council

_**YES, HAHA FINALLY!**_

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* * *

It had been about two days since Luke had been cleared to come back home, and all ready he was up and moving around as if the whole ordeal on the _Nexu _had never happened. At the moment, he and Jeza were practicing some hand to hand combat, something they hadn't been able to actually do in a while. Through over a week of inactivity, they managed to avoid being rusty, and moved with the fluidity of perfectly rehearsed dancers on the veranda; just so they wouldn't tear anything up in the living room. Padme, Han, Leia, and Mara watched from the living room while Luke and Jeza practiced, completely quiet as they watched the pair.

Since he wanted Jeza to work on her offense, Luke was mostly on the defensive at the moment, blocking her many different jabs at his person, ranging from attempted sweeps, attempts to put him off balance, and many different punches, kicks, and a few elbows and knees thrown in. Jeza even used her lekkus every now and then.

Luke ducked as said lekkus came swinging towards his head again, arm flashing out to block the upcoming knee before he launched himself into a tuck and roll to get out of range of Jeza's descending elbow.

She was getting better at this.

Luke popped to his feet in time to sneak in a sweep of his own, which Jeza jumped to avoid, coming to land just out of Luke's reach. Luke took one look at her and fell to a more relaxed position. "We're done for today; you did really well."

They'd been at it for quite some time, and Jeza was panting rather heavily now that they were no longer in the midst of the spar. "Really? Already?" she asked lightly, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Yes, already," Luke said with a chuckle, making his way back to the living room where a towel lay waiting for him on one of the couches. He dabbed the sweat on his forehead away with the towel while Jeza came up behind him. He was still tiring faster than he normally did, but that would fade with time.

"That's too bad; I was sure I was going to finally beat you," Jeza said with a mischievous smirk. Luke rolled his eyes.

"Sure you were Jeza," he said with a chuckle. Mara came up beside him with his gray under tunic and he took it back gratefully, leaning over to give her a gentle kiss on the lips. "Thank you," he murmured, already moving to pull the shirt on over his head. He felt a flicker of some unknown emotion go through Jeza when he kissed Mara, and he turned to the younger almost instinctively, a slight frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Jeza, do you think you could lend me a hand with 3PO?" he asked strategically. The droid had been having some joint problems and Luke had offered to take a look. Now, however, it was a good excuse to get some alone time with Jeza and see what was going through the younger girl's mind. She'd been a little off since Mara's arrival; something that had not slipped his notice.

"Why don't you be sociable for once?" Han jested. When Luke rolled his eyes, Han pulled Leia a little closer. "No? Well then, now we know how much you care."

"Of course, I can do that Father," Jeza said in a false up-beat voice, following Luke to his room where 3PO was waiting for him. The droid perked up from his seat on Luke's bed when he saw Luke enter.

"I see you have finished with your sparring session. Would it be all right if I powered down while you work Master Luke?"

"Yes 3PO, that's fine," Luke assured him, sitting down next to the droid before he got to work. Several moments of peaceful silence reigned before Luke finally decided to start probing.

"So...is there anything you want to tell me?" Luke asked vaguely, keeping his eyes on the wires in 3PO's arm. He could clearly sense Jeza's flicker of surprise at the question through the Force, so he didn't need to look at her expression to gauge her reaction.

"What do you mean?" Jeza asked. The fact that she'd decided to dodge the question set little alarm bells off in Luke's mind. Whatever was bothering her was bothering her quite a bit.

"Really? Because you've been acting different since I came home from the Halls of Healing at the Jedi Temple. Are you sure that there's _absolutely_ nothing bothering you?" Luke pressed.

Jeza was quiet for a few moments before she finally chose to speak, and Luke received confirmation about what was bothering her. "I...it's just...isn't she the same woman who..."

Jeza trailed off, unable to finish the question. The silence stretched for several moments before Luke tore his eyes away from what he was currently doing to meet Jeza's inquiring midnight blue orbs.

"Yes, Mara is the very same," he said gently. Jeza huffed, looking utterly confused.

"Then why...?" Once again, Jeza didn't finish her question, and once again, Luke didn't need her to.

"I forgave Mara before I was exiled, Jeza; I grew to care for her too much to hold a grudge for what happened. Besides, I saw how conflicted she truly was at the time, and I could see how sorry she was for her actions. My father was holding enough of a grudge for both of us any way, enough that I was rather worried about him for a while because of that grudge," Luke explained gently.

Jeza sighed gently through her nose, watching Luke as he turned back to 3PO's arm, putting the plating back in place now that he was done with that arm. He didn't say anything, giving Jeza time to process and make up her mind on what he had just said. She'd speak whenever she was ready to.

"I guess if you can trust her, then so can I," Jeza finally said. Luke smiled slightly to himself, turning back to Jeza to put an arm around her shoulders.

"If only more people went by that philosophy," he said with a slight chuckle. "But I'm glad you understand now. We'll finish with 3PO, and then we can go back and be sociable with the others, how does that sound?"

"Sounds good," Jeza responded with a small smile.

* * *

When Luke and Jeza emerged from their one on one time in Luke's room, Anakin had returned home and was waiting for them. Mara had a feeling she knew who it was that Luke and Jeza had talked about, but she didn't mind. At least, she didn't think she minded.

Anakin had been conversing quietly with Padme about something to do with the Jedi Council whenever Luke and Jeza reappeared, and he straightened up at the emergence of his son. "Luke, I need to borrow Jeza for a while."

A strange look crossed Luke's face, and he frowned. "Ah...why?"

Anakin couldn't hide the grimace that flickered across his face. "The Council wants to see her," he said seriously. Mara didn't miss that Luke's grasp on the young twi'lek girl tightened at his father's words, and he stiffened noticeably.

"For what?" Luke asked, his voice calm and his tone even despite his obvious tension.

"I think we both know why," Anakin said quietly. Mara cast her gaze back to Luke, standing up from her seat as understanding flickered in Luke's eyes. Luke turned his attention on the girl beside him, who looked nervous and scared of what was being asked of her. Whether or not she realized the Council was going to be drilling her over Luke, Mara did not know. She did know that Jeza seemed to grasped the seriousness of being called in to see the council, especially being a non-Force Sensitive outside of the Jedi Order. Luke's expression was filled with worry, so Anakin moved to reassure him.

"Obi-Wan and I will be in there, we'll make sure nothing happens to her, I promise. They just want to ask some questions," Anakin said in a soothing tone of voice.

"Make sure that's all that happens," Luke said in a warning tone of voice before he reluctantly let Jeza go. Mara could help that her mind flickered to thoughts of the Council prying into Jeza's mind by force, and detaining her simply for being affiliated with Luke.

She'd come to harbor a certain resentment of the Jedi Order since Luke's exile, and she in no way felt that her resentment was misplaced.

For a moment, it looked like the young girl was going to refuse and attach herself to Luke. Then, to Mara's surprise, she straightened up and squared her shoulders, a look of determination gracing her face. Luke had definitely taught his daughter well.

"I'll go," she said in a confident voice despite the fact that her hands were shaking. Anakin nodded and offered her his arm to escort her, leaning over to give Padme a quick kiss on the cheek before he led Jeza away towards the speeder. Mara approached Luke, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and gently rubbing his shoulder and back soothingly.

"She'll be fine," Mara told him as Luke stared after the speeder that was taking Jeza and Anakin away to the Jedi Temple.

"I know," Luke said with a sigh, forcing himself to turn away from the veranda. "It's just that I also know what she's going to be met with in that Council Room, and I wish she didn't have to go."

"She'll be all right; she's been taught well and raised right," Mara told him gently, guiding him back to the couches with the other three. Luke smiled a little at the compliment and complied, joining Leia, Padme, and Han on the couches and pulling Mara close to him. Mara shifted so that she could comfortably lean into him.

It didn't take long for Luke to initiate conversation. "So, when are you two going to get married now that I'm back?" Luke asked.

Leia lit up with happiness at the thought. "We haven't given it much thought since you arrived actually; there's been so much excitement with your return, I guess it just didn't occur to us."

Luke smiled a little wider. "I'm glad that you decided to wait for me. I couldn't imagine missing my sister's wedding."

"Neither could we; that's why we waited, Kid," Han said easily. "It wouldn't be right if you weren't there."

"How long have you waited?" Luke asked curiously.

"Just a few years," Leia said with a nonchalant shrug. Luke's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"That long?"

"Shorter than it could have been," Han countered.

"What would you have done had I not come back?" Luke asked with true concern in his voice. Leia was already shaking her head halfway through his sentence.

"Then we would have come for you. With the rate this family could search the galaxy for you, we would find you sooner or later, and we would come to you," Leia said firmly. Padme chose that moment to interfere.

"Well, we're all together now; let's try not to focus on the what could have been, whether it be grim or wistful. Everything that matters we have now, and we should be grateful for it," Padme said in a lightly scolding tone. Luke instinctively turned his gaze to Mara as his mother spoke, and Mara felt her stomach flutter lightly. The look in his bright blue eyes was something that caused her heart to melt; it was pure love and affection, and she knew because of that look that to Luke, Mara was one of those things that he had to be grateful for.

"Yes, we do, don't we?" Luke said quietly in agreement, leaning over to give Mara a adoring kiss on the lips.

Personally, the war and problems with the Jedi Order aside, Mara was content with how things were turning out as well.

* * *

Jeza stayed completely silent as Luke's father—her grandfather, now that she thought of it—drove them to the Jedi Temple. Jeza found herself openly admiring the structure once again as they approached, craning her neck to take in the high spirals of the Temple. Before Kuroth had arrived, Jeza had never been off the ground—not counting being in trees on Xenon—and it was a rather exhilarating feeling she didn't think she would get used to.

She could feel Anakin's eyes on her as they landed in the Temple's hangar, but she didn't mind. She felt safe and secure under Anakin's watchful eyes; Luke had spoken very highly of Anakin and Jeza knew that Anakin would be able to protect her if anything should happen. Once the speeder had powered down, Anakin helped Jeza out of the speeder and gestured for her to stick close to his side, already starting for the exit that would take them right to the main hall of the Temple.

"They're waiting for us, and it would be best not to keep them waiting too long; some of them are cranky enough as it is," Anakin said with a shake of his head, his dark brown robe billowing slightly behind him as he walked. "You don't need to worry though, they just want to hear your story and ask some questions about Luke, then you can go back to the apartment with the others."

"They're trying to decide what their judgment will be on whether or not my father will be allowed back into the Jedi Order, aren't they?" Jeza asked quietly, looking around at the towering pillars around her. Anakin was silent for several minutes before he finally answered.

"Yes, they are. Luke's already said that he thinks he needs more time outside of the Order to recover before he comes back, but at least with the decision now, we'll know if the Order will agree to take him back whenever he is ready to return," Anakin explained.

"I hope he decides to come back," Jeza said softly, casting her eyes down towards the floor. "He doesn't say it, but he misses being in the Order. When he told Kuroth that he wasn't a Jedi anymore, and said he probably would never be a Jedi again, I could tell that it hurt him to say it. He misses it so much, and I can tell it's like something is missing for him not being in the Order, even if he never mentions it."

Anakin nodded. "I can believe that—the Jedi Order always has been his life; it was that way with me too. When I was younger, attachments were forbidden by the Jedi Order; we weren't allowed to have relationships or even be in contact with family. When I fell in love with Padme, I found myself equally torn between the Jedi Order, which was my life, and Padme, who was the love of my life. Also, the Council didn't trust me at the time, and I felt shunned and excluded even after they'd accepted me into the Council. I also felt disgraced because I was the only person to be accepted on the Council and denied the rank of Master. It's a tough spot to be in, to want to be in the Order but be shunned by that same Order...I know how he feels."

Their conversation was cut short as Anakin stopped in the middle of the hall, and before Jeza could ask him why they'd stopped she spotted the Togruta woman that was hurrying towards them. Two lightsabers were strapped to her waist and her grand head tails twitched excitedly as she approached them.

"Anakin!" the woman called, a grin on her face as she embraced the older man eagerly. "Is it true? Skyguy Junior's home?" she asked, beaming.

"Yes, he's there now, with the others," Anakin said with a soft smile. "It's nice to see you back in one piece Snips."

The woman shrugged. "It was a false alarm; nothing stirred up by Judro, just an easily settled conflict." At that moment, the woman's attention was drawn to Jeza by Anakin's side. "And who's this?"

Anakin held out a hand, placing his arm around Jeza's shoulders. "Jeza, this is Ahsoka Tano, my former apprentice. Ahsoka...this is Jeza, Luke's adoptive daughter."

Surprise flickered across both Ahsoka's and Jeza's face at the introductions, but they both reacted accordingly, shaking hands. "Pleased to meet you," Ahsoka said. Jeza inclined her head.

"Likewise," Jeza responded.

"I would let this conversation continue, but Jeza's been called in to see the Council," Anakin said, already stepping around Ahsoka.

"What for?" Ahsoka asked suspiciously.

"Luke," Anakin said simply, walking forward. It seemed that was the only explanation that Ahsoka needed, because understanding dawned on her face and her mouth formed a little 'o.' Anakin didn't wait for any reply though, and instead continued to lead Jeza through the Jedi Temple halls. "Ahsoka represented Luke in his trial; her defense is what saved his life. She was able to sway enough people away from handing him over to the Senate for his sentence with her argument, and softened the sentence that the Council gave as well. I know, I was in the Council room as everyone argued over Luke's fate. It was not a pretty sight."

Jeza turned her head several times, trying to look back and get another look at the woman that had done her father such a great service. They were already too far away though, and Jeza didn't get to get another look at her. Perhaps later, after Jeza was done being interviewed by the Council, she would be able to meet Ahsoka again.

Eventually, Anakin brought them to a stop outside of a large door, and Jeza's nerves doubled. Anakin spared her a glance. "Don't worry, you'll be fine, and I'll be there the entire time heading the meeting. Just answer honestly."

"I know; the Force will reveal if I'm lying. I learned that lesson a long time ago," Jeza said sheepishly. That had been an embarrassment, as Luke had let her think she'd gotten away with it for quite some time and purposely kept putting her in awkward situations until she'd finally confessed.

Anakin's lips twitched towards a smile. "I'm not even going to ask," he said with a small chuckle before he waved a hand and the doors to the Council Room slid open, allowing them to step through and enter the circular room. Jeza looked around in wonder at the many Jedi Masters situated in chairs around the room as she made her way to the center, staying there at Anakin's signal while he took his own seat right next to the man Jeza recognized as Obi-Wan Kenobi. The dark skinned human Jedi that had also gone to rescue her father was there was well. It was a comfort to know that they were some of the people here to make the decision. At the same time, it made her wonder just who was so opposed to her father coming back into the Order. Didn't the Jedi teach things like compassion, forgiveness, and not holding a grudge?

Anakin settled into his chair, glancing around the room. "Shall we get started then?" he asked, gesturing towards Jeza. "I've already told her why she's here."

A Togruta woman with head tails much longer than Ahsoka's leaned forward, curiosity alight in her eyes. "Will you tell us your name, child?"

Jeza took a deep breath, straightening up. Luke had always told her if she should find herself in the presence of a Jedi to address them as Master, or Master Jedi. "Jeza, Master Jedi."

"And is there a last name with that, Jeza?" the woman asked.

"I've taken on my father's name of Skywalker since he took me in, Master Jedi," she said respectfully. She heard a few murmurs at that, but not much.

"And before that?" the woman pressed lightly.

Jeza hesitated just a moment before she spoke. "Rinn. Jeza Rinn is my birth name...Master Jedi."

"And how did you come to be on the planet Jeza? The one that Grandmaster Skywalker's son was exiled to."

"My mother said that before I was born there was a lot of conflict in the galaxy, and a group of people—just normal, everyday people—decided to get away from the galaxy's problems. So they all got together and decided to try and find a habitable planet in the Unknown Regions far away from the problems of the galaxy. At least, that's what I was always told when I was a child. I was born and raised on that planet, in that little village, Master Jedi."

"How did you come to be under Skywalker's care?" another Jedi Master, much gruffer and colder in his tone, asked.

Jeza turned to face the Jedi Master, noting how Anakin stiffened when the man spoke. "My village was wiped out when I was ten; everyone but me and a woman named Denna was killed, my parents included. Denna took care of me until she suddenly grew gravely ill, and neither of us knew how to treat her. The day Luke arrived, Denna was at the edge of death. The last thing she did before she died was have him promise to take care of me. I've been under his care ever since, and I won't have it any other way."

"How was your village wiped out?" the Jedi asked, cocking an eyebrow in a way that made Jeza think he was challenging her. "A disease, a natural disaster...a mass murder."

Jeza kept her face stoic as she replied. "They were all killed by the same man."

"And that man, could you describe him?" the Jedi continued. Jeza felt a flicker of anger; she had the feeling that this Jedi knew just who the man was, and wanted to paint her father in a bad light. So she decided to put herself a few steps ahead of him.

"The very same human who took me in, but not the same man," Jeza said coolly, looking the Jedi right in the eyes. Several exclamations of surprise and murmurs rippled through the room as the Jedi frowned.

"How can it be the same person, but not the same person?" the Jedi frowned. Despite the frown, he looked as if he felt he had already won this argument.

Jeza turned to fully face him, a righteous anger alight in her eyes. "Because, the person who went through my village and killed everyone and the man who took me in may be the same in body, but they are _not_ the same in spirit. It was Darth Eius that decimated my village. Luke is _nothing_ like him, nothing at all. He's cared for me as if I was his own daughter and raised me with love and care. To me, they may share the same face, but they are entirely different people, and no one can change that for me."

"Why don't you tell us how your time on Xenon with him was like; would you say he's completely turned around? Did he ever use the dark side of the Force?" another Jedi asked, shooting a few glances at the icy Jedi.

"I'd say he was a different person before he was even sent into his exile; he was so different he was even afraid to touch me when he first arrived, concerned that it would upset me somehow." Jeza's eyes hardened and she met the icy Jedi's gaze once more. "Tell me Master Jedi; does a Sith give a child the robe off his back for warmth and sleep on a cave floor with nothing but the clothes on his back night after night? When there's finally a roof over his head, does he give the only piece of furniture and the only blanket to a child while he sleeps on the floor, away from the fire so that she can get more of the warmth?"

"If they're trying to be deceitful—" he started to reply, but Jeza wasn't done and cut him off.

"Furthermore, does a Sith teach a child the ways of the Jedi and warn her of the ways of the Sith, even if the child isn't Force Sensitive? Would he put his own life at risk to save the child? Would he always put her needs above his own, even though no one was there to see? Would he hide his pain whenever the child was around and then when he thought he was alone completely broke down? I can give you assurance that Luke Skywalker, my father, is no more of a Sith than I am, and I stand by that judgment, even with everything that he did to me personally in the past. And if I'm no Jedi, and I can forgive him, then surely the Jedi, who have forgiveness as one of the things necessary to be who they are, can forgive him as well."

Silence rang through the room after her words, and Anakin had a smile on his face; there was a light of pain in his eyes at the mention of Luke's suffering, but for the overall speech he was smiling. Jeza pushed her luck for a little more.

"I've watched my father struggle with overwhelming guilt for what he's done for over five years, and watched it almost consume him more than once. I've seen him at his most broken state. If any of you try to tell me that he hasn't suffered enough, then I think you need to go back and go through everything that he has gone through, and then come back, look me in the eyes, and tell me he hasn't suffered enough. The Jedi Order is his life; he might not come back immediately, as he has a few more things he wants to do to make amends before he re-joins this Order, but he does want to return and coming back should be an option for him when he's ready."

For a sixteen year old girl, she thought she'd done rather well; it seemed Luke truly _had_ taught her well. She looked around, meeting each Jedi Master's gaze calmly. The icy master looked a little miffed but silenced for now. Believing she'd said her peace, she turned back to the Togruta Jedi Master.

"Is that all the questions you had for me?" Jeza asked the woman respectfully. She smiled at Jeza.

"That is all for now. I'm sure any other questions Master Skywalker could answer for us; you may return home to your father," the woman said politely.

Just as Jeza had been taught, she bowed deeply as a sign of respect. "Thank you Master."

"Wait for me outside; I'll take you home after this meeting," Anakin told her gently. With that, the doors slid open, and Jeza was allowed to exit the room.

* * *

It seemed like hours had passed; hours that found Jeza sitting on the floor with her back pressed against one of the columns, staring at the door and willing it to open to reveal her grandfather. Her back was starting to hurt, and she had long ago become concerned with what was happening behind those closed doors. Was the debate over her father's fate truly that intense?

Just as she thought she was about to fall asleep, the doors finally opened, and Anakin stormed out, his face drawn in a grim and serious expression and his entire posture stiff and tense. His eyes fell on Jeza sitting on the floor almost immediately, and Jeza snapped to her feet at the urgent air that seemed to circle him.

"What's going on?" Jeza asked, falling into step beside him as Anakin continued to rush through the halls. Master Kenobi passed them, taking a different route.

"I'll go get Ahsoka," he called back, his light brown robe disappearing around the corner.

"The decision over Luke is going to have to wait for another time. Alderaan is under attack; and it isn't anything light either. This is the most up-front Judro has been throughout this entire war; he's attempting to burn the entire planet. We need to get there as soon as possible. We're headed back to the apartment to drop you off, tell the others what's going on, and then I'm leaving."

"Luke will want to come with you," Jeza said.

"He's still recovering; he's going to stay."

"No he won't; injured or not, he'll still come to help in any way he can."

Anakin glanced at her. "We'll see."

* * *

Luke could sense the urgency in the Force long before Anakin and Jeza even returned. When he'd sensed it, he'd grown restless, pacing the veranda in wait of Anakin and Jeza's arrival. Mara and Leia could sense the urgency as well, creating a strange tension in the room that had nothing to do with each other. Everyone was wound up, and they just wanted to know what was going on.

When the speeder appeared on the horizon, Luke sighed in relief. "They're coming," he announced, causing the others to rise to their feet as well.

"What do you think is going on?" Han asked, coming to stand beside Luke on the veranda.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's important," Luke said, watching the speeder rush towards them at law-breaking speeds. Anakin was landing the speeder in moments, and Luke didn't miss the fact that Anakin left it running. Luke made his way towards them, instinctively taking Jeza into his arms when the girl hugged him. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Alderaan is under attack," Anakin said seriously. Behind him, Luke could practically see Leia and Padme shoot to their feet in alarm.

"What?" Leia shouted in shock.

"Judro and his fleet are attempting to burn the entire planet to a crisp. We're leaving for evac, rescue, and an attempt to fight them off right now. I was just bringing Jeza back," Anakin said, turning to make his way to the speeder.

"I'm coming with you," Leia said, rushing forward.

"I'll take her in the Falcon," Han told him, holding Luke's sister by the arm.

"I'll come too," Luke said, pulling himself up to his full height.

"No Luke, you're still recovering," Anakin said sternly.

"Then I'll run evac and rescue; I'll avoid the battle. Just please, let me help," Luke pled. Anakin turned and met his son's eyes before he sighed.

"You're your own man; I cannot stop you. I can only ask that you please be careful," Anakin said.

"I want to help," Jeza quipped. Luke was about to argue, before he decided that would be rather hypocritical and his father was watching with an amused look to see whether Luke would contradict himself or not.

"Fine, but you stay close to me, all right?" Luke said seriously.

"If Luke's coming, I'm coming," Mara said, coming up behind him and hooking her arm around his.

Anakin nodded, turning to give Padme a quick hug and rather long kiss. "Then it's settled; we need to hurry."

"Be safe, please," Padme pleaded. "I'll contact Bail and see how things are progressing...I'll go visit Breha as well."

"I'll keep in touch; R2," Anakin called, and R2 beeped and whirred, coming from around the corner to approach them. Anakin glanced at Luke. "I think you should take him; I'll be fine on my own up in the sky, but you might need him to override some locks or who knows what while you're doing evac; you'll need him with you."

Luke grinned. "I'd love to. Come on R2; let's see if you can still keep up with me."

The astromech whirred excitedly, drawing a small smile out of Anakin and an even wider grin from Luke. Anakin sighed.

"May the Force be with us all."


	10. Chapter 10: Destruction

_**WARNING: GET THE TISSUES! IF I CRIED WRITING THIS YOU WILL CRY READING IT!**_

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_**I would say Enjoy, but this chapter kinda ripped my heart out...**_

_**Read on!**_

* * *

Almost everyone that had volunteered for evacuation was packed into the _Millennium Falcon_, which wasn't that tight of a squeeze to Luke's mild surprise. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka were in their individual starfighters, and were going to be participating in the air battle. Part of Luke ached to be up among the stars with them, but if he was on the ground helping with the evacuations then he could keep a close eye on Jeza and make sure she didn't get hurt. Of course, first they had to get to the planet's surface. The _Falcon_ was under heavy bombardment and Luke and Mara had already taken to the gun turrets in an attempt to ward off their attackers. Jeza was strapped in the lounge seats, no doubt clutching the hologram board in a death grip with all the rocking the ship was making; Leia, Han, and Chewbacca were all in the cockpit.

While Luke took aim at any ship that shot at the _Falcon_, he couldn't help but reflect how it had been so long since he'd taken part in an air battle; he was itching to get back in one. Of course, right now he was needed down on the ground. Occasionally he could catch glimpses of what Alderaan looked like, and his heart ached for Leia; the planet was taking some heavy damage, and the rising death toll could be felt strongly through the Force. It was distracting, and Luke felt a strong pull to get to the surface as soon as possible and start getting as many people out as he could.

"Get your head out of the clouds Kid; we're taking damage on your side!" Han's voice suddenly said over the intercom. Luke grit his teeth, turning the guns so that he could shoot down three of their more relentless pursuers.

"Sorry Han," he mumbled, bringing himself back to the job at hand of keeping the ships off of the _Falcon_. The rear deflector shields were being a little testy, so they had to take extra care not to get hit, especially when entering the atmosphere. Apparently, word had it that despite the fact that Judro was trying to burn the planet to a crisp, Judro also had men down on the surface that were sabotaging the escape attempts. Of course, Luke was under strict orders to avoid any confrontations, but he highly doubted that he was going to be able to avoid trouble as a whole considering all the dark presences he could sense down below. He was a Skywalker after all; if he wasn't looking for trouble, it was looking for him.

TIE Fighters flew past, opening fire on the _Falcon_; apparently Judro had a few Star Destroyers under his control. If it wasn't for the occasional X-Wing, Vulture Droid, and other ships that also were attacking them, Luke might just be able to convince himself he was fighting the Empire again. The turret spun around at Luke's command, shooting down two of the TIEs before Mara intervened and shot down the other two.

"Good shot Mara," he called, keeping his eyes glued on the battle outside. He had to be careful who he shot at, as apparently every time the Republic tried to mark their ships in some way, Judro marked some of his ships the same way and made the markings pointless. Luke had to go off of any familiar ships and anyone shooting at the _Falcon_ or ships he knew was on the side of the Republic.

He was roughly jolted in his seat as the _Falcon_ took another hit. They'd entered the planet's atmosphere, and the pit of dread in Luke's stomach was only getting worse. Fiery flashes lit up Alderaan's sky as bomb upon bomb and merciless laser blasts rained down on the planet. Trees and fields were on fire, animals ran wildly with nowhere truly to run. Luke unstrapped himself from the turret seat, climbing up the gun well and making his way to where he'd left Jeza, getting shaken off of his feet several times from the waves that were coming from the bombs. Luke grimaced; perhaps it would have been better for him to participate in the air battle than to be down here in the middle of the fiery bombings.

Luke managed to make it to the seat beside Jeza, grasping her shoulder gently. "Do you still have the blaster Anakin gave you?" he asked. Jeza gestured to her waist, where the weapon was sheathed in a holster that looked suspiciously like one of Han's.

"Got it, of course," she assured him.

"Now if it gets to dangerous, I'll send you back to the _Falcon_ or somewhere the bombings aren't so bad, all right?" Luke said sternly.

"Father, I'll be fine," Jeza soothed him.

Luke shook his head. "I'm just telling you, just in case. Remember, when you come across someone you send them to the docks, and if they don't have a way off-planet then you send them to the _Falcon_ specifically. Most of the time I think you might just have to point them in the right direction after you help and you can move along, but sometimes you will need to provide a way out for them. We'll take all that we can; just stick with me okay? I have a com so Han can tell me when we can't take any more people."

Jeza nodded solemnly. "Yes Father."

Apparently Han had already found a place to land, because Luke could feel the _Falcon_ preparing to touch down, already getting to his feet. "Come on; we're going to have to be quick, because the planet's under some heavy fire. Every second is going to count."

Jeza unstrapped herself, taking Luke's hand as he helped her to her feet. Mara appeared from the gun well, gesturing for them to hurry up. "It looks pretty bad out there; I don't know how many people we're going to be able to help, but I don't think we're going to have much time to help."

Luke grimaced, following her to the ramp. Leia joined them from the cockpit. "How bad _is_ bad?"

Mara spared Leia a glance. "Extremely."

The ramp lowered, and they could hear Han's hurried footsteps as he shouted back to Chewbacca. "Just stay there Chewie, and keep her ready to get us out of here in a _heartbeat_!"

The moment the ramp opened, the sounds of screams and loud impacts could be heard at a deafening intensity, and Luke flinched. They were all in for a nightmare...and he wasn't so sure he should have let Jeza come in the first place. All of them had experience war to some degree, some of them had experienced the worst parts of war; Jeza had never been touched by war except when Luke had gone through her village. Now here he was dragging her right into the middle of a planet being turned into an uninhabitable rock. As they descended the ramp, Luke instinctively reached out and gave his sister a strong, one armed hug.

She'd already seen Alderaan ruthlessly attacked once. This had to be mortifying for her; Luke could vaguely sense the feelings she was burying and shoving into the Force faster than he could identify them, and he knew this was affecting her. Leia squeezed his hand affectionately before they reached the end of the landing ramp and immediately they separated. Han and Leia went to the left, while Jeza, Luke, R2, and Mara went to the right. Jeza immediately latched onto Luke, her hand bunching up the back of Luke's shirt—the same one he wore on the Second Death Star since it allowed him to move quickly and effectively.

There was screaming people everywhere pushing to get to the spaceships in the spaceport and intense heat all around. Luke grabbed Mara's hand so they wouldn't get separated, keeping tabs on both Jeza and Mara through the Force as he pushed his way against the crowd. Occasionally he saw someone fall, and would reach out to catch them either physically or with the Force so they wouldn't get trampled to death. The panic was thick in the air with mass hysteria and confusion.

"Mara, I'm going to go with Jeza and R2 to start sweeping buildings for anyone still inside; do you want to go further on to help anyone that might be trapped closer to the carnage?" Luke shouted over all the voices around him.

Mara nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. "I can do that; stay safe Luke," she shouted back. In the next moment, she'd taken off, racing through the crowd towards the raging fires that were still a decent ways into the distance. Looking up at the sky, bombs could be seen falling even at a great distance. Fighters wove in the sky, shooting at the bombs before they could reach the surface in an attempt to minimize the damage being done to the planet, but they couldn't stop every bomb from dropping, and wildfires were spreading swiftly, of that Luke was positive from what he'd seen in the gun turret.

They were halfway through a tunnel that was less packed than the others when a bomb landed disturbingly close to them. "Down!" Luke shouted, taking Jeza down to the ground with him and covering her with his own body as debris rained down on them. R2 whirred in alarm just behind them, though at least the noise from the droid let Luke know R2 was still with them. Dust and rubble fell on Luke's back, but he stayed where he was lying until the trembling calmed and he pulled Jeza back to her feet with him and continued on.

Never once did he mention that somewhere on this burning planet, he could sense Judro waiting for him; he simply braced himself for whenever that confrontation happened.

* * *

Up in the sky, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka took part in stopping the bombs before they could reach the surface. Down below them, they could see the spots where the fields and forests had caught fire and was spreading rapidly. Republic cruisers were confronting Judro's cruisers, attacking them relentlessly in an attempt to draw their fire away from Alderaan.

"I'm still trying to understand what Judro hopes to gain from this attack," Ahsoka said over their communications.

"Fear," Anakin said instantly. "He doesn't want the people to stop fearing him, so he's destroying an entire peaceful planet...Tarkin had generally the same idea when he destroyed Alderaan during the Empire."

"Does anyone know what happened to Tarkin after the merge?" Ahsoka asked.

Anakin grimaced. "He disappeared. We don't know where he went but...I have my suspicions. Some of these attacks, like this one, have Tarkin's stench all over it."

"I would have thought the man had died by now," Ahsoka grumbled.

"Hey, he's not that much older than I am," Obi-Wan griped.

"Starboard!" Anakin suddenly interrupted, angling his fighter to take out a bomb that had just entered the atmosphere. He opened fire, scoring a direct hit. The three all angled their ships in the opposite direction, rushing to outrun the massive fireball.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said quietly once they were safe again. "I don't think there's much we can do. The fires down below are already spreading faster than they can be put out."

"We'll do what we can," Anakin answered, his gaze scanning the ground below. His children were somewhere down there, as well as their loved ones. He'd managed to locate Luke, which led to him locating Mara and Jeza, and he could sense Leia, which meant Han as well. Galen and Juno were probably on the other side of the planet, helping with evacuation on that side.

He could also sense numerous dark presences, both in the air and on the ground. It wouldn't be long before Anakin's group in the sky and the groups on the ground were met with opposition.

"Incoming fighters; they're coming up behind us," Obi-Wan suddenly said. Anakin sighed.

"Things are about to get interesting..." he muttered, his fingers flexing as he gripped the controls a little tighter and spun his fighter around. He was in need of a good dogfight.

* * *

Luke and Jeza were halfway through a tall hotel when the bomb hit.

The entire building shook, and the windows shattered all around with the intense fiery wave that caused Luke to check himself to make sure he wasn't burned.

"Jeza!" he hollered, and the girl stuck her head out of a room three doors behind him.

"I'm fine, just a little cut from some of the glass, but fine!" she called back to reassure him.

"These blasts are getting closer and closer," Luke mumbled to himself, moving onto the next room. They'd already cleared out so many people Luke had lost count, but so far he hadn't received any contact from Han telling him that the _Falcon_ was full; that was good, it meant they could get more people out.

A high pitched shrieking from the street below drew Luke's attention, and he made his way to the window to see the building next door on fire. A woman was being dragged away on the street down below.

"My baby! My boy! Please, no, I can't leave him, I've already lost one child, I _will not_ lose another!" she shrieked, fighting to get back to the building. Luke looked sharply back at the flaming building, judging the distance to the roof.

"Jeza," he shouted back into the building. "I'm going next door! Have R2 do one last scan and then meet me at the entrance if there's no one else!"

He heard her faint reply moments before he gathered himself to jump, drawing on the Force to be sure that he wouldn't hurt himself. In the next moment, he was falling through the air towards the flaming building's roof. He landed, crouching, on both feet with a thud and a grunt, bracing his hands on the roof to gather himself and keep from falling flat on his face. Stretching out with the Force, Luke tried to see if he could sense the boy inside as he pulled out his lightsaber and cut a hole in the roof; there wasn't a door into the building from the roof, so he had to make one.

Luke stepped back as the chunk of the ceiling fell in, and a wave of heat seared his face. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, he jumped down into the flaming building. He was almost immediately crushed by a flaming beam, and would have been had the Force not given him a warning halfway through his fall and allowed him to twist out of the way. Flames cracked everywhere, eating up the walls and along the carpet. He stretched his Force senses further, trying to find a sign of the missing boy.

"Anyone here?" he shouted, coughing as he accidentally inhaled some of the smoke.

He didn't hear a response, but he did feel a flicker in the Force. Steeling his resolve, Luke powered through the flames as fast as he could to avoid being burned, following the subtle prompts in the Force as he navigated through the top floor. He took note of every way down out of the building, grimacing when he saw that every exit he spotted was blocked, on fire, or collapsed. He'd have to get out from the roof again, hopefully carrying a passenger this time.

A warning sang through the Force, sending Luke lunging forwards to avoid a chunk of a nearby wall from crushing him. Panting, both from exertion and all the smoke he'd inhaled, Luke pushed himself to his hands and knees. Looking up and noting he was in the last room, Luke finally spotted his target. A small brunette boy, no older than seven, stood, covered in ash and several burns, by the window, staring transfixed by the image outside of his world on fire. That last bomb had landed too close, and their time in this part of Alderaan was officially up. Luke sent out a silent prayer that Mara was all right and then pushed forward to the boy. With the practiced ease of being a father for over five years, Luke kneeled beside the boy, gently placing a hand on each of the boy's shoulders.

"Hey...my names Luke, I'm going to get you out of here...what's your name?" Luke asked soothingly, resisting the urge to just snatch the kid up and run. That wouldn't work out so well no matter how much danger they were in; the boy had to _want_ to go with him. The boy turned his blank expression to Luke, looking almost like he didn't even realize what was going on. Great, the boy was in shock. "I'm going to take you to your mother, but you're going to have to trust me; what's your name?"

"Zane," the boy mumbled, turning away from the window. Luke reached down and picked the boy up, sending soothing waves to him through the Force and letting out a sigh of relief when the boy hooked his arms around Luke's neck and allowed Luke to pick him up.

"All right Zane...I'm going to get you out of here and to your mother, all right?" The boy nodded in response, and Luke started weaving through the fiery building. Sweat dripped into his eyes and he was starting to feel a little _too_ lightheaded. Hoping to continue to distract the boy from their dire situation, Luke continued his questions. "What's your mother's name?"

"Aama," the boy whispered, clutching Luke tighter when Luke had to swing around to avoid a flaming beam.

"I have a daughter myself; she's right next door helping people get out of the hotel," Luke said conversationally, clutching Zane as close to him as he could before he jumped through the flames that were blocking the doorway he needed to go through, shielding Zane with his own body. The Force guided him on where to step where the floor wouldn't cave, as there were already several chunks missing from the floor. "We're almost there, okay? When we get down to the street you can help me find your mother, I don't think she knows I came in here for you," Luke told the boy, locking his gaze on the hole in the ceiling just ahead.

"Okay..." Zane answered quietly. Luke came to a stop just below the hole.

"All right Zane, I need you to hold on tight for this, we're almost safe, I promise," Luke said soothingly, tightening his grip on the boy as he coiled himself to jump, propelling himself upwards with the Force so that he could make it through the hole. Zane clutched Luke in a death-grip as Luke powered up through the air, jostled just slightly when Luke landed on the roof. The air was much clearer outside of the building, but smoke was still all around and gathering in ferocity; the clock was ticking.

Luke cast his gaze around at the flaming buildings all around and down at the street below, where he could see Aama's friends that had been trying to drag her away had ditched her and left her to lie mournfully on the ground; she must have tried to get into the building and failed. Zane turned his head, spotting his mother down on the ground.

"Mom!" the little boy yelled, and Aama's head jerked up, zeroing in on her little boy held tightly in a strangers arms.

"Zane!" she shrieked, but Luke wasn't paying attention anymore. The Force was screaming at him about an incoming danger, and Luke set Zane down, reaching for his lightsaber.

"Stay right there, I'll get you down in a moment," Luke promised, unhooking his lightsaber from his waist and spinning around just in time to see a scantily clad woman land on the roof from one of the nearby buildings. She stood up, crimson lightsaber ablaze as she gave Luke a rather eerie grin.

"Well, well, well, look who came to join in on the fun," the woman purred, a hand on her hip. "I'm going to enjoy this, Skywalker."

Luke ignited his green blade, sensing Zane's awe behind him. "Just back away now, while you still have your life," he threatened, stepping protectively in front of Zane.

"Tempting," the woman said in a mocking tone. "But no."

With that, she attacked, crimson lightsaber slashing through the air towards Luke, who countered her blade with a well-practiced ease, batting it aside and adding in his own advance. She blocked his attack, and Luke felt her draw on the Force in preparation of an attack, prompting him to respond first with a Force Blast, throwing the woman all the way back to the other end of the roof. Luke tossed his lightsaber after the woman in the hopes to score a hit on her while she was still disoriented. She managed to deflect the spinning weapon though, and Luke called his lightsaber back into his hand, rushing forward to engage the woman again before she could regain her bearings. Their blades locked again, and Luke grit his teeth, pushing against the lock that they were in. He broke the lock, backing up a step and sending a blast of lightning her way; strangely, the lightning was green and appeared more as sparks than lightning bolts. The woman dropped to the ground with a scream, convulsing and twitching on the ceiling. Luke shook his head, stepping away.

"You lose," he muttered, turning his back on her. To his surprise, the woman laughed; weakly, but she still laughed.

"No matter...I was just a distraction," she said with a wicked tone. Luke spun around to confront her again, but his reply was cut short by the intense pain he suddenly felt just above his abdomen. He fell to his knees with a shocked, strangled cry of pain, his hand flying to the spot he could feel the heat of a lightsaber; but the wound wasn't his. He was sensing someone else's pain; someone nearby and close to him, someone—

Luke moved without thinking; the woman had come bearing down on him with her lightsaber suddenly, and Luke ran her through with his lightsaber moments before she would have dealt a fatal blow on his kneeling form. Deactivating his lightsaber and hooking it back to his belt, Luke spun to face the hotel.

"_JEZA!_" he bellowed.

Some small part of his brain whispered a reminder of his rescue, and he rushed back to Zane; the poor boy looked petrified, but Luke was too erratic to try and calm him down. "Hold on," he instructed the young boy firmly, pulling Zane back into his arms before he launched himself back into the hotel with the Force, landing on his back so Zane wouldn't get hurt from the rough landing. Luke rolled to his feet, rushing into the hall without even noticing that Zane was keeping close to his side.

"_Jeza!_" Luke shouted again, feeling an icy cold dread start to spread through him. _Please, please, please answer me..._

Down at the end of the hall, a familiar black robed figure emerged limping from one of the rooms, and Judro's masked face turned to spare Luke a parting glance. His golden eyes glinted maliciously, and he gave Luke a small, two fingered salute before he jumped out of the window to the ground below. Luke powered forward, the world going by in a blur as he rushed into the room Judro had just left.

"Jeza! Jeza!" Luke called frantically, skidding to a halt at the doorway. Blaster marks scorched the walls, and the source of the scorch marks lay forgotten on the floor. A sad whirring came from a closet that was barred hastily from the outside, and the owner of the discarded blaster lay prone on the floor just a meter from the shattered floor-to-ceiling window. A strangled cry forced its way past Luke's lips, and he ran to the gray skinned twi'lek's side, gathering the young girl up into his arms with a desperate fervor. "Force, no, Jeza, please, say something..." Luke pled, his trembling hand skimming over the charred lightsaber wound right above her abdomen. He cupped the back of her neck in his hand, probing through the Force for something—anything—that would give him a sign of life. Jeza's eyes cracked open, and her lips parted weakly.

"Father...?" she whispered in question. Tears sprang to Luke's eyes and he brought his hand up to gently stroke her cheek.

"I'm here Jeza, I've got you, you're safe now, all right? You're going to be...going to be fine," Luke choked out. He hardly even realized he was echoing a scene from long ago, when his father had been in a similar position.

Jeza reached up, slowly grazing three of her fingers across Luke's lips and causing a sob to break out of him. "It's all...right...Father. I'm not...afraid...It'll be...okay..."

"No, no it's not okay," Luke said with a shake of his head. "I promised Jeza, I s-swore I'd protect you."

"Father..."

"I shouldn't have left you by yourself, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I failed you," Luke cried, tears streaming freely from his eyes. "You can't...you can't..." he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Father, please," Jeza said softly, her voice flickering. "Just promise me...you won't let Judro...or whoever's...behind this...win."

"Don't do this to me," Luke croaked. "Please, just...just hold on, you'll be fine, you'll be okay, everything..."

"Promise me."

Luke squeezed his eyes shut, shaking. "I promise," he whispered, his voice cracking. He opened his eyes again when he felt Jeza's hand lie carefully on his cheek.

"I...I love you...Father," she whispered, her hand was sliding off of his cheek, and he grasped her hand like his life depended on it, holding her hand to his cheek and savoring the feeling. "You...t-took c-care of me...were...everything for me..."

"I love you too Jeza," he told her, and his heart broke at the smile that spread across her face at his words, her midnight blue orbs sparkling just a little brighter for a moment.

"I...I'm proud to...have been...your...daughter..." she whispered, eyelids drooping shut.

"And I'm proud to have been your father," Luke told her. She didn't reply. Instead, she went slack in his arms, her last breath trickling past her lips that were still slightly curled in a peaceful smile.

Something in Luke broke at the sight, and he pulled Jeza as tightly to himself as he could, rocking back and forth as he sobbed, clutching her so tightly it was like he believed he could somehow hold onto her and keep her with him. His grief swelled, growing with every second and every tear.

_Perhaps I'll pay that little twi'lek girl of yours a visit..._

_Cleanse yourself; take care of Jeza..._

_I was just a distraction..._

_I love you Father..._

_I will destroy you..._

_I'm proud to have been your daughter..._

_I will take every last thing you hold dear away from you..._

_Promise me..._

_Starting with her..._

His breathing labored, Luke raised his head up to stare out at the world on fire all around him, tears smearing his ash-covered face as he let loose a scream of grief and fury full of the Force that rivaled that of his father's years ago in another time.

"_JUDRO!"_

* * *

Just a few buildings away, Mara Jade stopped in her tracks at the overpowering wave of pure anguish and rage that washed over her, sending her sprawling in the middle of the street as the single-word scream ripped through her mind.

_Luke_, she immediately thought, and as soon as she was capable she was up on her feet and running.

* * *

Up in the air, three starfighters suddenly plummeted before their pilots regained enough of themselves to keep in the air. Anakin was the last to recover, feeling the agony so strongly it crippled him for several long moments. He gasped as he came back to himself, shaking violently from the intense emotions he'd just had forced upon him.

"Luke," he wheezed out loud. The other two remained in grim silence at the revelation.

_What just happened?_

* * *

Han almost went into a full blown panic when Leia suddenly collapsed from where she'd been climbing a wall to get into a blocked building just a few moments prior, barely managing to catch her before she could fall to her death. Han felt as if ice had just been dumped down his back, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

Leia's face was scrunched up in pain for several long moments as she held to Han in a death grip, not even bothering to try and get a foothold on the building again.

"Leia!" Han exclaimed in alarm. What was wrong with her?

"Something's wrong with him Han," she suddenly cried out, her face streaked with unexplainable tears. "Something's wrong with Luke!"

* * *

Over on the other side of the planet, Galen Marek could feel the same intense wave just as strongly, and had sunk to his knee, gripping his head in obvious pain and gasping from shock. Juno, alarmed and confused as to what was happening, took up a position in front of him to protect him from the dark sider that had been advancing on him when the wave hit him. It took Galen several seconds to re-gather himself, looking around as if he was seeing the burning planet anew. Dread settled firmly in his gut, fear centered entirely around Luke—wherever his freshly returned friend may be.

* * *

Already safely escaping the planet in the starfighter he'd arrived in, Judro closed his eyes and basked in Luke Skywalker's pain and fury, a sinister smile playing across his face underneath the mask.

_I'll be waiting for you Eius...now...you'll come to me._


	11. Chapter 11: One Too Many Goodbyes

_**This chapter is sooooo long...and I just stayed up all night to finish it. I'm not joking, the sun's streaming through the blinds right now...uhg...**_

_**Enjoy (ish, this is a pretty sad/depressing/bittersweet chapter haha)**_

_**and the story part is 12,800 words, so its the longest chapter I've written too; purely original work.**_

_**You all. better. love. me.**_

_**Don't forget to like the Facebook page full of goodies: AngelDesaray of Fanfiction**_

_**i want reviews on this chapter haha**_

_**Enjoy! (I'm gonna sleep half the day now...)**_

* * *

When Mara entered the building, it was shaking.

Never a good sign.

She raced up several flights of stairs, keeping her eyes peeled for Luke. His emotional turmoil was too strong for her to keep herself open to the Force; she felt like if she opened herself up to it, she would get swept away and swallowed whole by his raging emotions. Eventually she came to a flight of stairs where the Force Wind was violent, and she was hardly able to push through. Step by step she pushed through the gale to the floor that housed the source of the violent wind, on her hands and knees by the time she crested the stairs to the level she wanted to be. Her eyes immediately fell upon a terrified brunette boy, and her heart ached sympathetically for the child.

Slowly, Mara made her way over to the young boy, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What happened?" she asked him, shouting to be heard over the roaring winds.

The boy shook his head, covering his ears with his hands. "I don't know," the boy shouted, trying to be heard over the wind. "He rescued me, but someone got hurt, and he got really upset..."

"Is he in there?" Mara asked, doing her best to keep her voice even as she gestured to the room whose door was right next to the small boy. The boy nodded, and Mara didn't wait for anything more. "Stay here," she said sternly, already forcing herself forward into the room. The winds here were so strong, for a moment she wasn't sure that she would manage to even make it past the threshold.

Inside, it was as if chaos had found its center.

The wind whipped around in a dizzying fury, such that Mara had to call upon the Force simply to keep herself in place. Charred debris flew recklessly around the room, and the roaring of the wind was so loud Mara felt as if she would go deaf from being too close to the eye of the storm. When she saw just what lay at the center, though, she knew she could not stay away.

Luke sat in the center of the room, his shoulders shaking violently as he rocked back and forth, clutching a limp form as close to his body as possible. Mara recognized the boots, saw the gray lekkus dangling past Luke's arm, and her heart clenched so painfully she felt as if it would collapse into itself.

Mara gradually pushed her way forward into the room, approaching Luke centimeter by centimeter. Every movement closer to him got steadily harder, until Mara was curled up behind him, braced against the wind in an effort simply to stay grounded and keep from being swept up in the gale. Her hair whipped around her face, blinding her; but she didn't need to see. Gritting her teeth, Mara forced herself to reach out and grasp Luke's shoulder, pulling herself even with the sandy-blonde haired man.

Luke jerked at the contact, but he did not pull away from the figure in his arms. Now, Mara was close enough to see that Jeza was in fact not breathing, her eyes closed so it looked like she was forever in a deep slumber, her mouth curled into a faint, last smile. The sound of Luke's sobbing was drowned out by the wind, but Mara could feel and see his shoulders trembling violently, up and down, wracked with immeasurable grief. His face was buried into Jeza's lean form, completely obscured from sight by both the girl's body and his own mop of hair. Slowly, his head shook back and forth in a sign of denial, rejection, and loss, his hands clenching, unclenching, and re-clenching in the fabric of her clothes. Mara felt tears of her own spring to her eyes and spill over at the sight of his devastation, and she gently moved her hands so that they were tenderly grasping his shoulders. She didn't pull him away from Jeza's body; she was positive that would only set him off. Instead, she pulled herself as close as she could to him and rested her face in his neck, her arms squeezing slightly in a hesitant embrace from behind as she gently rubbed his shoulders. She was close enough now to hear his broken sobs and to hear that there were words to go with his trembling and frame-wracking sobs.

"I'm so sorry Jeza...I'm sorry...I failed you...please, let this just be some horrid nightmare...this can't be real...Jeza, please...I love you..." Luke whispered to himself in between his sobs. He seemed closed off to and isolated from the world around him, unaware of the carnage that he was causing all around in his grief stricken state; Mara doubted he would even care.

Mara squeezed her eyes shut, some of her tears leaking down Luke's neck. "Oh, Luke..." she whispered, her voice warped by her deep set sympathy for him and the pain it caused her to see this. Luke shuddered at the sound of her voice and finally reacted to her touch, slowly lifting his face up and away from Jeza's body. Mara sucked in a breath at the sight of the smeared, tear-streaked face, covered in a mixture of dry and wet-smudged ash, his eyes still a vivid bright blue but full of an agony that rivaled the pain of over five years ago when she'd betrayed him on Byss. His lips were swollen from where he'd probably pressed his lips against Jeza's face and head repeatedly in his grief-stricken state. Out of the corner of her eye, Mara could now see the charred hole in the girl's abdomen; the sign of a lightsaber wound. Luke made a strange sound, like a wild animal caught in a deadly trap it knew it couldn't escape from.

"Mara," he partially whispered, half-sobbed, his voice cracking after the first syllable. Fresh tears spilled over and tracked new trails down his ash-covered face as he sucked in rattling breaths with such effort Mara was sure that breathing had begun to pain him. "Sh-she..."

"Shh," Mara said gently, placing a hand on his cheek and tenderly brushing her thumb along the length of his cheekbone. "You don't have to say it," she told him softly, brushing away several more tears that fell from his eyes. To her relief, the gale started to calm around her as she did her best to ease his grief and turn his mind away from it.

"He killed her," Luke snarled, his voice coming out strange as it was still warped with grief and tears. "He waited till I was somewhere else, helping someone else, and _he killed her!_"

Luke curled into himself as he shouted the last part, angling his head back into Jeza's body, and somewhere in the building there was a thundering _crack_ followed by the sounds of something very large crashing. He didn't even seem to notice, his gaze hardened with a look Mara had hoped she wouldn't see in his eyes again as he turned his eyes back up towards her. The hard, vengeance-and-blood-thirsting look melted away into broken defeat as he held Mara's sorrowful gaze.

"It's my fault," he croaked, tears flowing freely down his face as he turned away again to bury his face in Jeza's neck. "I shouldn't have left her, it's my fault she's d...my fault sh-she's...gone."

"Luke, it's not your fault," Mara told him quietly, threading her fingers through his hair comfortingly. Luke gave a shuddering hiccup of a sob, shaking his head.

"Yes, it is," he sobbed.

"Luke Skywalker, look at me..." Mara said desperately, leaning in close to his ash-covered face. "None of this is your fault. If anyone carries the blame it's Judro," she said passionately, disturbed by the dark look that flickered across his features at the name. It was gone just as soon as it appeared, he was so emotionally unstable. Mara glanced out at the flaming world of Alderaan, noting that the flames were _too_ close.

"Oh, Luke," she murmured, turning her attention back to him and resting a hand on his cheek once again, her forehead pressed against his. "You've gone through so much more than any man should...Please don't do this to yourself; you know Jeza wouldn't want it. But you have to let her go; you know you do. It wasn't that long ago you were telling some other people you hold dear the same thing. You know..."

Luke shook his head, but this time buried his face in Mara's shoulder. "I can't...I can't, Mara. I-it took her dying in my arms for me to a-accept her calling me father, a-and to finally tell her...tell her that I loved her. Why didn't I before? Why did I have to wait until it was too _late_?"

Mara gently cradled his head to her shoulder, running her fingers through his sandy mop and letting him cry as much as he needed to while tears of her own fell upon his head. She faintly heard her com going off, but ignored it. Around them, the Force Wind was finally calming and coming to a gradual end as Luke let everything out, turning into Mara's arms for comfort and some form of reprieve. His body shuddered against her chest, her shirt now damp from the tears he had shed in a matter of seconds. She gently rocked Luke back and forth, making soothing noises low in her throat and holding him as tightly to her form as she could with Jeza's body still in his arms.

Somewhere in the room Luke's discarded com buzzed a shrill whine, but they both ignored it. A chunk of the ceiling fell in a few paces from them; Luke remained unfazed, but Mara was done hanging around.

"We have to go; the flames are too close now and the building's crumbling around us. We've run out of time," Mara said in a firm yet gentle tone of voice.

"I won't leave her," Luke forced out, pulling away sharply.

"I never said you had to," Mara replied gently, giving him a tender kiss on the cheek before she stood up. "I'll go get your little charge."

Luke jerked again like he'd been shocked, and a fresh wave of guilt—a different kind of guilt this time—washed over him. "I forgot about Zane," he murmured, turning back to Jeza. He seemed loath to move, and when he gathered her up in his arms to carry her out, he was deliberately slow and took his time. Before he left the room, however, he looked around, a light of fear in his eyes. "Wait; where's R2?"

A shrill whistle came from the barred closet, and Mara closed the distance in four quick strides, hefting the large beam aside so that the astromech could wheel out of the room with several grateful yet sad chirps. Luke had a strange look on his face, and he was clutching Jeza a little tighter to him.

"She must have hid him before Judro attacked her," Luke murmured. R2 wheeled up beside Luke, bumping into his leg with a low, sad whir. He gave the astromech a small, broken smile. "I'm glad you're safe R2," he whispered.

Mara's com continued to go off, and she continued to ignore it. "I'm sure that's the _Falcon_; we've spent all the time we can here. We need to go now."

"I'm coming," Luke assured her, though Mara didn't miss how his pace was slower than normal, and grief still clung to him as much as the dark side once had. Mara shivered at the thought, and re-entered the hall where the boy—Zane—was waiting for them. Hesitantly and wordlessly, the boy attached himself to Luke's leg. "Don't worry...I'm sure your mother's still outside waiting for you."

Mara's step faltered slightly. "Oh, the woman outside was his mother?" she asked in surprise. Luke nodded in confirmation. "I sent her ahead to the _Falcon_ before I came in. She was so grief stricken; I think she thought you two had been killed..." Mara said slowly, talking as if her words could set Luke off again; she wouldn't be surprised if they did.

Luke's face became stoic, a sure sign that he was attempting to hide his reaction. There were cracks in his normally perfect mask though, and Mara felt bad for bringing the pain back already as he winced. "Then we better hurry back," Luke said softly. "Mara, can you carry Zane so we can move faster?"

"Of course," Mara said softly, kneeling down to pick the small child up and letting the little boy bury his face in her shoulder. Luke cradled Jeza's body closer, giving her a kiss on the forehead before he nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving Jeza's limp form.

"Let's go."

* * *

"Try her again!"

"She's not answering, all right? I can't help that! Maybe she just can't reach it at the moment."

"Han, something happened to Luke; I need to know that he's all right, but neither of them are answering!"

"Leia, please; you know Luke and Mara. They'll show up, I know they will."

"I know how they are Han, but something—"

"If something did go wrong, then they will find a way around it. They will be here Leia, I promise."

"Han...we're running out of time; we've got all these people on board, even more trying to force their way past Chewie..."

Han stood up from his pilot seat, resting his hands on his fiancé's shoulders. "He will be fine Leia. And we'll wait here for them until we can't wait any longer. I'm not about to leave Luke either."

Leia sighed, allowing herself to be drawn into Han's embrace and burying her face in his chest to hide the tears that made it past their defenses for Luke and for the burning Alderaan they were being forced to leave behind. Han felt deeply for her; she was seeing the planet destroyed a second time, and up close this time too.

After several moments of Han cradling Leia's slightly shaking form to himself, nervously watching the flames get steadily closer outside of the cockpit, Han's com went off. Leia snatched the device off of Han's belt before he could even reach for it; her and those Jedi reflexes...

Chewbacca's growls and roars reached them before Leia even said who was answering. Immediately Han crumpled in relief when he heard what his friend had to say. "You see them? Good, make sure they get through and onto the ship, then we're out of here," Han said tersely. "I'm glad we managed to keep enough room for Luke, Mara, and Jeza; barely, but still."

Leia handed the com link to him, already turning in a flash of brown and white to leave the cockpit. "I'm going to go see him and find out what happened."

"I'll catch up to you whenever we're in hyperspace," Han called to her retreating back even when it disappeared around the corner halfway through his sentence. He turned back to the controls and waited a full minute before he started to lift off the ground. When he received no protest over his com, he continued with the departure from the planet. "Let's get out of here," he murmured to no one in particular, angling the ship away from the burning surface of Alderaan.

* * *

It was hard to push past the crowd of people that were still trying to find a spot to get comfortable on the _Falcon_, but Leia managed to struggle past the worst of the crowd so she could approach the landing ramp. The first thing she noticed was that Chewbacca wasn't making a sound; something that worried her immensely. The next thing she realized was that Mara was in front with R2 at her side, her shirt soaked in some strategic spots, and ash speckling her face. Her eyes were red, like she had been crying.

As soon as Mara caught sight of Leia swiftly approaching, Mara stepped right into her path and opened her arms to restrain her, holding her back. Leia felt an immediate flash of indignation and hurt at the action, shooting the red-head an annoyed look. "Mara, please move, I have to see Luke," Leia said firmly.

Mara solemnly shook her head. "No, not right now, he...he needs some space."

Leia froze at her tone of voice. "Mara, what..."

She trailed off as over Mara's shoulder, just as the _Falcon_ started to rise off the ground, Luke appeared, Chewbacca closely behind him. Leia didn't register Chewbacca lowering the ramp, though she did hear the Wookiee's mournful howl, the little brunette boy practically attached to her brother's leg, and...and...

Leia let out a small, quiet exclamation of surprise and horrible understanding as she set eyes upon her brother, taking in his ash-covered, tear-streaked face, the sag in his shoulders, the slow, almost forced forward pace he moved with, and the body he held in his arms, clutched lovingly and sorrowfully to his chest, his eyes never moving from the peaceful features as he moved by memory through the _Falcon_. Leia stared mutely at the scene, the sudden grief and sympathy she felt for her brother swelling far beyond words as she let Mara pull her back away from him. When Mara spoke, her voice trembled.

"He...he needs some time," Mara stated weakly. "Judro...Luke went to go rescue that little boy, and while he was gone...Judro came and..."

Tears filled Leia's eyes as she realized just what she had felt earlier. "Force...why her? Why _him_?" she asked no one in particular.

Mara sighed, looking back in the direction Luke had disappeared, most likely to the bunk room he and Jeza had picked out for the trip back to Coruscant that was going to be untouched by the people they evacuated. "He just needs his space right now, I mean..." she trailed off and shook her head, looking down at the ground.

"I think this might have been too much for him," Mara whispered.

* * *

Luke didn't really remember much of the trip to the _Falcon_; he hardly even registered anything as he boarded. He just knew he felt hallow, numb, and devoid of...well...anything. He couldn't take his face away from Jeza's, knowing that eventually he was going to have to tear himself from her side. He didn't want to, and his heart—or what was left of it—twisted painfully at the thought. He found himself at the bunk room he was supposed to share with Jeza too soon, slowly getting down on one knee so he could situate the girl onto the bottom bunk, folding her hands together over the lightsaber wound so that it looked like she was asleep. Gently, he brushed the tips of his fingers against her cheek, another sob bursting out of him. As it echoed around the room, he couldn't help but notice that it was the sound of a broken man. He would know; he'd been broken before.

Behind him, Zane stood quietly in the doorway, waiting for him. Once more, Luke nearly forgot that Zane was there before he managed to scrounge up enough strength to pull himself away from Jeza's side and come to the boy's side. Gently, Luke reached down and picked the boy up. "Come on...let's go find your mother," Luke said, his tone empty. Somehow, leaving Jeza's side, leaving her in the bunk, made him feel even more broken then he already was.

Luke wound his way through the _Falcon's_ corridors towards the cargo hold—which had been cleared and filled with blankets, pillows, and the sort for the rescued—where he was sure that Aama, Zane's mother, would be. As soon as Luke was sure Zane was back with his mother, Luke would retreat back into the bunk and back into his grief.

The cargo hold was packed with all sorts of people, and Zane and Luke scanned the room; Zane had a much hungrier, needful look on his face as he looked for his mother, while Luke's expression was understandably rather half-hearted.

Suddenly, Zane perked up in Luke's arms. "Mommy?" he called, his eyes riveted somewhere in the room. Luke followed Zane's gaze, and sure enough, there was Aama, her head whipping around at the sound of her little boy's voice. Luke sat Zane down so that Zane could rush into his mother's waiting arms, watching from a distance as mother and son shared a tearful reunion.

"Oh, Zane, I thought I'd lost you," Aama wept, clutching her little boy as close to her as physically possible.

"I was so scarred Mommy," Zane whispered.

"I know baby, I know," Aama said in a soothing tone of voice, tears leaking from her closed eyes. "You're safe now though, I promise."

Zane nodded. "No thanks to Luke."

Aama pulled away with a frown. "Luke? Luke who baby?"

Zane turned to look at Luke, a small smile on his innocent face. "That Luke; the man who saved me."

Luke cast his gaze and head down as Aama looked his way; he was in no state for this. He didn't think he could take the thank you he was sure he was about to receive...

Aama approached him, oozing fervent gratitude through the Force. "I cannot thank you enough for saving my little boy..." she started to say, but when Luke looked up and she caught sight of his face for the first time, her whole demeanor changed as shock and recognition flashed through her, followed closely by potent anger and hate.

Luke tensed on instinct, completely confused by her reaction for only several heartbeats.

"You!" she breathed before her hand shot out and smacked Luke across the face—hard. Luke's head snapped to the side, and he could taste blood on his lips. All around, people stared in shock at the unexpected turn of events, and further surprise that Luke did not react to the abuse. He took it wordlessly and without complain, like a kicked pup that was used to being abused or just didn't care anymore.

"I thought you were exiled!" Aama exclaimed while Luke licked the blood from his lips; a useless endeavor, as he simply continued to bleed. Zane stood in confusion between his mother and rescuer as Aama worked herself up to a fury. "I was watching the news that day, I _saw_ you put on the ship—_how are you here_?"

Luke didn't offer her much of an answer. "I...received a pardon..." he whispered.

"Why would they give a monster like you a _pardon_?" Aama all but shrieked, and Luke momentarily recoiled before just standing there and letting her shout at him. "You took my _daughter_ away from me!"

Luke stopped breathing, and his eyes misted over as he felt as if the galaxy was pressing down on his heart. "I-I-I'm so sor...sorry," Luke managed to force out. Aama let out a harsh laugh.

"Sorry? _You're sorry?_ Sorry won't bring my daughter back! You'd have to know what it feels like to be sorry, and you _don't_! You know _nothing_ of the loss that I went through because of _you_! I don't care what you did to receive your _precious_ pardon, because I see what you truly are, and you will never redeem yourself in the eyes of those whose lives you've _destroyed_!"

With that, Aama grabbed her little boy's wrist and pulled Zane as far away from Luke as possible. Luke stood there in shock, feeling the blade of her words twist and cut him to his already damaged heart and soul with devastating force. He stood there for several long moments, uncaring of the stares he was receiving as hot tears welled in his eyes and burned their way down his cheeks. With the gasp of a suffocating man, Luke turned on his heel and left the cargo hold as fast as humanly possible.

He didn't remember finding his way back to the bunk room, and he didn't remember sinking beside Jeza's bed. All he remembered was holding her unresponsive hand tightly in his own, sobbing uncontrollably and earnestly wishing to die before unconsciousness took him and he sank into dark, unfeeling nothing.

* * *

Mara had seen the ordeal with Aama, but had been stuck applying pressure to a nicked artery and had been unable to make her way to Luke. As soon as she was able to find someone else to take her spot applying the much needed pressure, Luke was gone, but she made her way over to Aama, a fresh fury alight in her eyes.

Aama sat in a corner, holding Zane close to her in a possessively protective embrace, a faraway look in the woman's eyes. Mara stormed up to her, determined to give the woman a piece of her mind to put the woman back in her place before Mara went looking for Luke.

"What's wrong with you?" she growled at the woman once she was toe to toe with her, glaring down at the woman. Aama stared up at her blankly.

"What are you talking about?" Aama asked with the audacity to sound offended. Mara growled and stepped a little closer.

"Luke," Mara snarled. "That's what I'm talking about. He just saved your boy's life, and that's how you thank him?"

"He doesn't deserve my thanks," Aama shot back, rising angrily to her feet. "What he deserves is to rot in a cell, or better yet be put to death for all the families he's destroyed."

It took a great deal of strength for Mara not to punch the woman so hard she'd be knocked out, her sole restraint being the fact that Zane was attached to his mother's leg.

"Didn't you see the look on his face? In his eyes? He's not the man that killed your daughter, and he's completely repentant of what he did five years ago. He knows what it's like—" Mara started to say in a forcibly calm tone, trying to retain some sliver of decency in the conversation.

"He knows _nothing_ of the pain he put this family through," Aama said hotly, but Mara cut her off with a shout that rang through the entire cargo hold and made everyone go silent.

"He just lost _his_ daughter not even an hour ago! Not even an _hour_!" Mara shouted in Aama's face. "She was _murdered_ just because she called him Father. And you have the _audacity_ to say—"

Mara broke off with a frustrated cry, turning away for a moment. "That girl was his entire world; and she was just murdered in cold blood while he went to save _your_ son, simply because she was associated with him. Don't you _dare_ try and say that he doesn't know, that he doesn't understand, that he doesn't _feel_; he knows all too well what it's like."

Mara didn't even wait for a response. Instead, she forced her way out of the cargo bay and charged onwards to Luke's room. How had all of this happened? Just a few hours ago they had all been happy, together, laughing, whole; now...

Mara stopped outside the door, leaning her head on the cool metal and taking several deep breaths to calm herself before she walked inside, bracing herself for whatever lay beyond.

When she saw Luke lying unmoving on the floor, she felt pure panic and fear race through her, immediately assuming the worst. When she knelt down beside his form, though, she saw that he was breathing, and was immediately cured of her worst fear. Fresh tear trails were on his face, blood was still trickling across his mouth, and his hand was loosely intertwined with Jeza's; a sight that broke Mara's heart. She tenderly wiped the blood from his lips and then slowly gathered Luke's lean and powerful form into her arms with some help from the Force and lifted him up into his bunk, crying silently and openly for him the entire time. Instead of just leaving him in there all alone, however, Mara crawled up onto the bunk with him, holding him close to her in comfort when she lay down beside him, head resting lightly on his chest and an arm around his middle. She wanted to take all the pain he was feeling away from him, but she didn't know how.

"Oh, Luke," she whispered into his chest. "Don't give up on us...you're not alone. Just hold on, and things will be made right again; I promise. I would know...I've seen it before."

* * *

Leia re-appeared in the cockpit a few moments after they'd jumped to hyperspace, just as Han was getting ready to leave. It was strange that Chewie hadn't come to the cockpit as soon as he was on-board, but Han figured he was busy fixing something or whatnot. Han checked the navi computer one last time, hearing Leia's footsteps behind him.

"Hey, I sent Anakin a transmission so he'd know we all made it out safely; the others and he will meet us at the Temple hangar. Are the kids all settled?" he asked. When she didn't respond he frowned and turned around to face her. "Leia?"

He was startled to find her still standing in the doorway, crying. She took a ragged breath. "Han..."

He was across the cockpit in a second, pulling her into his arms. "Leia...what's wrong? What happened?" he asked in shock. "Is the Kid all right?"

Leia shook her head avidly against his chest. "N-no Han, he's not."

He felt like ice had been poured down his back, and he instinctively held Leia a little tighter. "What happened?" he asked, his tone strained with worry.

"Judro killed her Han," Leia whispered, and Han stiffened.

"Mara?" Han asked. Leia shook her head and Han sucked in a sharp breath. "Jeza?" he asked, his voice tight. Leia nodded in confirmation, a new sob escaping her.

"You should have seen him Han! I-I haven't _ever_ seen him like that...maybe, maybe back on Byss but..." she trailed off, crying softly into Han's shirt.

Han swore under his breath, rocking Leia back and forth soothingly while he gently rubbed her back. "Kriff...why did it have to be her?" he murmured to no one in particular. His heart went out to his future brother-in-law and he closed his eyes, allowing Leia to cry into his chest until she was all right again. Leia hiccupped a little.

"I knew something was wrong Han, I knew something terrible happened, but I would have never guessed..." she trailed off.

"No one could have seen this...even with those Jedi Magic Tricks of yours," Han murmured into her ear. Leia pulled away, trying to straighten herself out.

"I need to contact Father...a-and tell him...tell him what's happened."

Han shook his head. "I'm afraid that will have to wait until we land; the communications system kind of...exploded on the way out."

Leia gave an exasperated sigh. "Of all the times for your ship to fall apart Han!"

"Hey, it's not her fault," Han said, patting the controls affectionately before he sobered again. "We'll just have to try and get off the ship first to tell Anakin so that it's not...as much of a shock."

Leia chewed on her fingernails—something rather out of character for her. "Han...I'm scared of what's going to happen to Luke...what this will do to him..."

"The kid's tough he'll...he'll be all right," Han said, cursing himself silently for the unsure note in his tone.

"You didn't see him Han," Leia whispered. "You didn't feel...a mere _shadow_ of what he felt when she died."

"This line of thinking isn't going to help any," Han pointed out, gently caressing her cheek with his thumb. "Right now, he needs his space, but we'll all make sure that he knows we're here for him,and that he still has a loving family when he needs us, all right?"

"Hold me," Leia whispered, wrapping her arms tightly around Han. He didn't say anything, simply wrapped his arms around Leia in response and gently patted her back in comfort.

"He'll be all right Leia...you'll see."

* * *

The starfighters were the first to arrive at the Temple, where Padme was waiting anxiously for the news of what had happened. She was quick to inform Anakin that the Organa's had made it out safely, and Anakin grimly informed her that they had managed to drive Judro's forces back, but there was already so much damage to the planet it would be a miracle if enough of it survived for Alderaan to continue to be habitable. She asked about the others, and for the first time, Anakin hesitated.

"What? Anakin, what is it?" Padme asked fearfully. Off to the side, Galen and Juno approached from where they had landed the _Rogue Shadow_ during Anakin and Padme's solemn conversation.

"Han...says that they're all fine, but there was an...incident. I don't know what, but...something happened with Luke," Anakin said slowly.

"I felt it too; on the other side of the planet," Galen chipped in as he came to stand beside Obi-Wan and Ahsoka a few paces away from Anakin and Padme. "Did they not contact you to explain?"

Anakin shook his head. "I don't think Han knew either; he just said Chewie had said he'd seen them and they were leaving. Nothing more. They might not have even reached the ship yet when he contacted me. Did they contact you?"

Galen snorted. "If they didn't contact you, they didn't contact me."

"What _kind_ of incident, Anakin?" Padme asked, her tone somewhat sharp as she called her husband's attention back to her. Anakin chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to think of a way to gently explain it and not get Padme too worried.

"There was...a very strong sense of pain and anger that we could sense from him through the Force," Anakin explained slowly, all the while thinking how pain and anger was an understatement. He looked up at the sky, sensing familiar presences enter the system. "None of us know what happened, but I'm sure we'll know when they touch down. They're in the system, they should be here any moment now."

Padme's forehead was creased with worry, her mouth curled into a concerned frown. "Anakin..."

Anakin sighed, pulling his wife into his arms. "What matters Padme, is that they're safe. Whatever happened, we'll work our way through it, like we always do."

Padme didn't argue, leaning lovingly into Anakin's embrace while they waited patiently for the _Falcon_ to arrive. Anakin met the other's gazes over Padme's shoulder, a silent understanding passing between Obi-Wan and Anakin. The two elder Jedi were almost positive that something unexpected and possibly tragic was going to greet them, though they had no idea what that was going to be. Still, Anakin wanted to keep the hope and relative calm alive as long as possible before whatever revelation the _Falcon_ held was dropped on them all.

Finally, the familiar ship appeared on the horizon, and the small group shuffled off to the side to allow the relief team in the hangar to escort the battered and emotionally strained refugees to safety. Chewbacca stood at the bottom of the ramp, helping some of the weaker beings on their way down and handing them off to the Padawans that were assisting with the relief effort before he moved onto the next. Anakin sagged in obvious relief when he saw Leia and Han take up the rear of the group, Leia's eyes doing a quick sweep of the room around her. When her gaze landed on her parents off to the side, Anakin immediately knew that something was terribly wrong. It was in her red eyes, and the way that the air suddenly seemed thick with sorrow. Even the assisting Jedi who weren't attached to the Skywalkers could sense it, though not nearly as strongly as the group that shared such deep bonds.

Leia rushed towards Anakin, throwing her arms around his neck as soon as she was within reach. "Daddy," she whispered into his chest, trembling.

Yes, something was horribly wrong.

"Leia, Princess, what's wrong? What happened?" Anakin asked in worry, tipping his daughter's head up to search her chocolate gaze. A tear slipped out of her eyes. "Where's your brother; is he all right?"

Leia's bottom lip trembled. "Father...it's Jeza," she whispered, causing Anakin's heart to clench in fearful anticipation. "She..."

Leia didn't get to say much more, because at that moment several gasps went through their small group, and Anakin heard the tears that warped Padme's voice. Looking up sharply, he saw a sight that he knew would be burned into his mind forever.

The first thing he thought of was when he was twenty, all the way back to when he'd gone to Tatooine...and his mother had died in his arms...and he'd carried her in his arms back to the Lars' to be buried...

Luke was slowly descending the _Falcon's_ ramp, Jeza held in his arms the same way Anakin had held his mother in his arms that dreaded day, staring unseeing in front of him as he walked mechanically forward. Anakin involuntarily shivered at how cold and...empty his son felt at the moment and he took a step towards the young man, noting there were unshed tears in Luke's eyes and that he was still filthy and covered in ash from the burning planet. Mara Jade stayed firmly by Luke's side, and it seemed almost as if she was guiding him along, coaxing him forward and getting him to keep putting one foot in front of another.

Something about the sight stopped him. He remembered how he had felt when his mother had died. He'd been torn between wanting to be left alone and wanting to be held, but no comfort in the world could provide what he needed. Some little part of him whispered that Luke needed to be left alone, that Mara was the one that Luke needed to be with at the moment. Anakin would have his opportunity to be there for his son, but right now...right now Luke needed space, and the woman that was able to keep him moving even now.

Padme also took a step towards her son, looking ready to fly into full mother mode, but Anakin stopped her, pulling her into his arms. "Give him time..." Anakin murmured, his voice dripping with raw emotion. "Just...let him have his space..."

The relief team and the refugees stared as Luke and Mara went by, and not a word was said in the hangar. Anakin held Padme close to him as she cried into his chest, and Anakin looked up at the sky, closing his eyes as the image of Luke smiling and happy again with Jeza on one side and Mara on the other came to the front of his mind.

_Why do you do this to him_, Anakin asked the Force in a bare mental whisper. _Why have you taken his happiness from him yet again?_

He didn't expect a whisper back, but he didn't like the answer he felt in his heart and mind either.

_Patience...there is a reason for everything. All in time, it will make sense; her death was not without purpose._

* * *

The funeral was that night. It wasn't at the Jedi Temple, as Jeza was not Jedi and Luke wasn't a member of the Order. Still, with the many family connections they were able to pull enough strings to set up a quiet funeral in a small corner of Coruscant, where they were able to set up a funeral pyre for Jeza. Well, Luke was able to set up the pyre. He arrived long before anyone else, spending as much time with Jeza before she truly was gone as he could. No one had seen him since he'd departed from the Falcon other than Mara, who was almost constantly by his side. Apparently, he'd asked for the time constructing the pyre alone, and for some alone time with Jeza's body before the small funeral as well. Anakin had images of Luke, sobbing as he constructed a pyre of wood in a thinly forested area, hands trembling, a gray skinned twi'lek's body in the background...

There was quite a few people coming; the Organas, who were on Coruscant, were coming, of course the entire Skywalker family, Galen, Juno, Han, Chewie, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Kuroth, even Windu, Shaak Ti, and Aayla Secura came to pay their respects to the girl.

All thoughts left Anakin's mind as they finally came to the spot where the pyre was constructed. Luke stood, a single lone figure dressed in black, in front of the pyre, a lit torch stuck straight up in the ground at his feet. Jeza's body was already set up on the pyre, looking for all the world as if she was simply sleeping. One by one, everyone slowly approached.

* * *

Luke couldn't feel the cold wind around him, or really hear any of the animal life that made the sounds of nature around him. He could only see Jeza, his beloved daughter...in a place he had seen one too many loved ones, with a fate one too many people in his life had met as he said one too many goodbyes. He wasn't sure if he could even find it in himself to speak anymore. He'd poured out his heart and soul to the girl before everyone had arrived; he'd said his painful, agonizing goodbye, and he didn't have it in himself to speak anymore. He just felt...broken down and empty.

He sensed the others approaching, his vision blurry with more unshed tears. He felt estranged from the galaxy, separate from those around them, even as the familiar faces took varying spots around the pyre. No one said a word; there were no words to be said, as most of them were Force sensitive and could simply _feel_ everything that had to be said. Also, it seemed everyone knew that Luke had already said his goodbyes and that, with as fragile as he was, he couldn't take one more in any shape or form.

His father appeared at his side first, and wordlessly pulled Luke in for a tight hug. Luke closed his eyes, letting his father's strong and steady embrace wash over him. It didn't do much to help the emptiness in his heart though, he was loath to admit. Anakin didn't seemed bothered by it though; he seemed to understand perfectly. Luke shook himself mentally. Of course Anakin understood; he'd lost Luke to the clutches of death twice—of course one he'd only thought he'd lost Luke, but that was beside the point.

His mother was right after Anakin, and she tenderly pulled Luke into her petit frame. Luke gratefully buried his face in her neck and hair, allowing his mother to gently rub his back and whisper words that normally soothed and comforted him. Once more, it didn't quite give Luke what he needed, and he began to wonder if anything could. Still, he was grateful towards her for trying, but that gratefulness was quickly squashed once more by the emptiness that had been his constant companion.

His sister and Han appeared next, with Leia pulling him close to her in a bone crushing embrace. Leia had always been a source of comfort for Luke, including in his worst moments like Bespin. But now, he couldn't even bring himself to give her the small reassuring smile he would give her even if things weren't all right. Han clasped him on the shoulder, giving him a brotherly squeeze before he allowed Leia to pull him elsewhere, and Han held Leia close to him while everyone waited for Luke to move forward. The torch crackled beside Luke while Luke stared at Jeza's body. He didn't think he could do this anymore; he didn't _want _to do this, he wasn't _ready_ to say goodbye. Not now, and not ever. How many had he already lost? How many more did he have yet to lose? When would the Force finally decide that he had lost enough?

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, he didn't notice, but a strong gust started to pick up. Before it could reach the same intensity that it had back on Alderaan, however, gentle, loving hands ran up from the middle of his back and settled on his shoulders, drawing his attention away from the pyre in front of him and quelling the wind. Mara stood beside him, her hand trailing its way up the back of his neck and tenderly threading through his hair. Blazing blue eyes met emerald green eyes, and Luke felt completely exposed under her gaze; like he couldn't hide anything from her. Like she could somehow take what he felt from him. Of course she couldn't...but he liked to believe that she could.

Her eyes shone sadly, and the meaning in her gaze was clear and obvious. _It's time_, her eyes seemed to say. He gave the most imperceptible shake of the head that was only caught by a few onlookers, to which Mara's gaze softened even further and she nodded. She wiped a tear from his eyes before it could fall, disguising the action as a gentle caress of his cheek. Luke didn't want her to let go; he wanted her to stay, and he wanted Jeza to open her eyes and laugh, to call him Father again and ridicule him for being so reckless, or for getting lost in his thoughts again, or for worrying about her so much...

"Luke..." Mara whispered, and Luke knew he couldn't put it off any longer. Ever so slowly, he picked up the torch and hesitantly placed it to the pyre in front, watching as the flames ate at the wood before they reached Jeza's body. It was so final; new tears leaked out of Luke's eyes. Padme and Anakin were in each other's embrace, with _both_ of them shedding tears. Leia had turned into Han's chest, unable to look as Jeza was surrounded by the flames. The Jedi Masters' eyes flickered from the burning pyre to Luke and Mara, though Luke ignored them. Kuroth stared mournfully into the fire and gave Luke several long, sympathetic looks. Chewbacca howled low sad notes to the sky. Galen held Juno in his arms, his gaze see-sawing between Luke and the pyre like Kuroth's gaze. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka stared solemnly into the flames for a long time before they turned pity-filled, sorrowful gazes onto Luke.

Luke's eyes never wavered from the flames. Mara leaned her head on his shoulder, and he found himself inclining his head just slightly to rest his head on top of hers, Mara's arm wrapped around his. They stayed like that for a long time. One by one, the attendants began to trickle away, leaving the family to grieve. Eventually they, too, left the pyre, giving Luke his space once more. Mara stayed with him for a long, long time until she picked up the sense that Luke wanted a little more space. She kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"I'll be by the speeder," she said softly, squeezing his hand before she turned and made her way in the general direction of the speeder that Luke had taken. He made no complaint.

Once she was out of sight, Luke sank to his knees beside the pyre from his crushing grief and sobbed, staying there until all that remained of the grand fire and burning pyre was burning embers. His throat raw and his body aching with the grief he was feeling, with no one else around to hear him but the Force itself, he simply whispered two words to the pyre.

"I promise..."

* * *

Several days passed. There weren't even any whispers of Judro in those days, and his fleet was mysteriously absent. Everyone seemed to be waiting in fearful anticipation of the moment when he would appear again and rain some new devastating terror down on the Republic. The planets that had joined Judro—especially after the Alderaan demonstration—had not shown any dissatisfaction though, so the Republic _knew_ something was coming.

The war was just a little rain outside the window for the Skywalker family. All their concern was centered around Luke, who spent most of his time locked away in his room. The air all around felt as if there was a storm brewing, but they hadn't sensed anything that they were afraid they would. Darth Eius had not reappeared, though Luke's presence was...different, at the same time.

Mara went in often, as did Anakin, Leia, and Padme, though Mara was in there the most. They wanted to make sure he ate and that he was taking care of himself, hoping that he hadn't let himself go. Mara told them he had stopped crying; the weight of grief was still there, but not as prominently as it had been several days prior.

Today, four days after Jeza's passage, found Mara stretched out on Luke's bed, watching him sit on the ground and tweak his lightsaber in silence. He'd just come out of a deep meditation, and had gone straight to adjusting the weapon. Mara watched him closely, studying everything about him. After the funeral, Luke had developed a...stoic calmness to himself that left her on edge. He seemed perfectly serene on the surface, but below...it was like there was a constant fire of danger, like he was ready to lash out but had the control to wait for the right moment. A hidden danger, a sleeping dragon, a nexu waiting to pounce.

It was as alluring as it was frightening, and it was frightening because it was _Luke_. She didn't want him to cross back into the Darth Eius area either, and the danger that simmered underneath the surface worried her.

Luke finished tweaking his blade, nodding in satisfaction when the blade sprang to life without a problem. It might have just been her imagination, but Mara thought the blade looked a deeper, darker green than before. Stretching, Mara slid off the bed and approached him, her hands placed gently on his shoulder.

"Looks like it still works," Mara said with a small smile, placing a tender kiss on his cheek. Luke deactivated the blade and balanced the hilt in his palm.

"It should work better now," Luke murmured. He turned his head, giving her the faintest of smiles; it was better than nothing. Luke inclined his head, leaning forward to give her a slow, relished kiss on the lips. "I have to go now," he said once he'd pulled away, getting to his feet and grabbing his black cloak off of the bed. Mara frowned, standing up as well.

"Go? Where?" she asked curiously, her eyes studying his every movement. Luke paused, inclining his head slightly in the direction of the hallway.

"The Council summoned me, while you were helping my mother in the kitchen. They want to speak with me...and I them," he said, tagging the last line on with a low mutter.

"Can I come with you?" Mara asked before she could even think about what she'd just asked. Luke gave her a strange look.

"I don't know if they'd allow you to," he said doubtfully. "It's the Council we're talking about, and I don't think they'll see a reason for you to come...especially since you left the Order."

Mara arched a challenging eyebrow. "If I want to come, I'll come; and I'd like to see them try to stop me."

She was pleased to see Luke's lips twitch towards a real smile; it didn't quite make it there, but it was more than he'd done the past four or five days. "I'll take your word for it," he said softly. "If you want to come you can...but please remember that I'm the one meeting with the Council, okay?"

"What's that supposed to me?" Mara asked curiously.

"It means I know you tend to voice your opinions on something you don't like rather _strongly_, and I want you to let me handle whatever happens in there."

"So you don't think this Council meeting is going to go well?" Mara falling into step beside him as he exited his bedroom and started down the hall.

"I think it's going to be rather unpleasant," Luke said in a tone that told Mara he really didn't care anymore. Once more, she felt that burning worry for his wellbeing, and she put a hand on his shoulder to show her support.

"Well then...I guess I'm coming for moral support. That's good enough of a reason, don't you think?"

Luke spared her a glance, his eyes full of a deep emotion that threw her off for several heartbeats. "More than enough."

There it was; the soft, gentle Luke she knew so well. It was just a flicker, but it was enough, and it caused a smile to grace her lips and comforting warmth to enter her heart. The pair crossed the living room and approached the veranda and the speeder, drawing Padme's attention.

"Where are you two going?" she asked curiously, her gaze never leaving her beloved son. He'd hardly come out of his room, and when he had his mother had drank him in but respected his space, doing what she could without disregarding his wishes to be left alone and giving him as much support as he let her.

"The Council wants to see me; I'm headed there now," Luke said in a soft voice. Mara knew that Luke was well aware of how much everyone wanted to help him, as was he aware of how upset they were that they couldn't and how concerned for his well-being they were. He didn't acknowledge it though; he stayed brief, and he kept his distance. Still, they all respected him for it.

"Oh...okay then...Tell your Father to be home in time for dinner tonight, all right? He's been late the past few days," Padme said, struggling for a lighthearted tone and casual conversation.

"I will," Luke promised, drawing his cloak close around him but leaving the hood down. He offered his hand, and Mara gladly accepted, letting him lead her to the speeder and help her inside in a rather gentlemanly fashion. He started the speeder and took off with a well-practiced, instinctual ease. Mara watched him closely as he directed them through Coruscant's traffic, noting how he seemed deep in thought and even a little tense.

"What are you going to say to them?" Mara asked suddenly. Luke stiffened a little in surprise.

"What?" he asked, though Mara knew that he'd heard her just fine. Still, she repeated her question, and Luke shook his head. "I've come to some...conclusions and several discoveries the past few days...I'm going to share them with the Council. If they take it, that will be great, if not, then I'll do what I must.

Mara cocked an eyebrow. "Sounds like some serious stuff, Farmboy."

Luke let out a sight, exhaling slowly through his nose. "I know what I'm doing...even if no one else thinks I do."

_Well, you have been wallowing in misery the past few days, you're not exactly thinking clearly_, Mara thought to herself, but she didn't say anything. She wasn't insensitive to his pain, not at all; she just knew that Skywalkers tended to be a little...un-rational in their grieving states.

She just hoped that Luke would beat out that reoccurring family theme, just this once.

* * *

When they arrived at the Jedi Temple, Luke pulled his hood over his head, hiding his face in the darkness that the cowl supplied. He interlaced his fingers together just as he had when he'd entered Jabba's Palace in another life, taking several calming breaths so that he could find his center again. He did all of this in the short space of time it tok to reach the entrance to the temple, and with Mara shadowing him, he stepped into halls he hadn't walked in years.

Of course, he'd been in the Temple itself recently, but either he was unconscious, or in the same straight path from the Halls of Healing to the hanger, or in the hangar alone. Now he walked freely through the halls, no guards surrounding him, able to go wherever he pleased. Of course, some of the Temple inhabitants wouldn't like seeing him, but that was beside the point.

As Luke made his way down the main hall, stares from every pair of eyes that he came into range of were pulled to him. Whispers echoed around, with no one bothering to hide what they were saying while Luke kept his gaze trained straight ahead, hood pulled low over his face and his pace unfaltering.

Whispers of Mara Jade, the Knight who left the order to search for the place of her _lover_ Luke Skywalker's exile.

Whispers of Luke Skywalker, Fallen Jedi Padawan who became the bloodthirsty Sith Lord Darth Eius, son of Grandmaster Anakin Skywalker, supposedly redeemed from the dark side of the Force.

Whispers of how Luke Skywalker had fooled so many; how he was still an agent of darkness that would turn on them the moment their guard was down.

Whispers of how the rescue of the Chancellor was staged, and that Luke Skywalker and Judro were actually in league.

Whispers of the Council meeting that was being held to decide Luke Skywalker's fate.

Whispers of a disturbance from Alderaan, so powerful and filled with emotions of grief and hate; could Luke Skywalker have been the source?

Whispers wondering the nature of the relationship between Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker; there were many different whispers here, ranging from beliefs she was his dark apprentice to his personal courtesan because Sith felt no love to several other demeaning, terrible, derogatory theories.

Luke's jaw tightened imperceptivity beneath the hood as he walked, but not because of the jabs at himself; it was the rumors of Mara that riled him, that stirred a deep set anger inside of him. He managed to clamp down on the feeling though, and continued forwards through the halls, ignoring the stares and never-ending whispers as he made his way to the Council Room. Mara's annoyance was a little more obvious in her expression at the rumors and undisguised whispers, but she managed not to say anything about it the whole trip to the Council Room.

When they arrived, Luke came to a fluid halt, closing his eyes and taking several steadying breathes in preparation. He could sense his father in there, of course, and Obi-Wan. He tried to get a feel of what was going on behind those doors, but he only came away with a feeling of tension. Yes, this was going to be an interesting Council meeting indeed.

The doors started to open, and Luke glanced at Mara, placing a hand on her arm. "Perhaps you should just wait outside..."

Mara flashed him a disdainful look and stepped inside, slipping around the corner to stand by the doorway. Luke shook his head slightly at the rebellious action, stepping in himself with a fluid motion and instinctively moving to the center of the Council Room. The last time he'd been here...

"_Because of Sidious' dark power, merge, he could not, however. Help us with young fallen Luke, he will, to heal the divide in the Force."_

Luke pursed his lips slightly at the memory. Now wasn't the time to fall back into the darker memories from five years ago; right now he needed to focus entirely on what was going on around him. He needed to focus, put his grief aside...

Luke stopped the thought there before it could progress in any unwanted direction, taking the last step and removing his hood in a single, swift motion. His gaze fell on his father first, a gaze of longing and sympathy on the older Skywalker's face before Luke's gaze wandered over the other Council Members.

He was sure everyone could sense the new embittered taint in his soul, and the tired light in his eyes.

"You wanted to see me?" Luke asked, his voice calm, one eyebrow raised as his gaze settled once more on his father.

"Why did you bring Jade with you, Skywalker?" one of the Jedi Masters Luke didn't recognize asked. Luke made it a point to ignore that same icy Jedi Master who's purposely been causing problems for quite some time now—who he _still_ did not have a name for—and inclined his head towards the Master that spoke.

"She asked to come, and I wanted her to," Luke said simply in response. The Jedi Master didn't seem to like that answer, but she didn't push him for a different one. That one troublesome Jedi Master, however, decided to voice his opinion.

"She has no business here; she shouldn't be allowed to stand in," he argued, glancing around the room. Anakin and Luke didn't even spare the man a glance.

"She can stay," Anakin said in a tone so final no one argued further.

Windu leaned forward in his chair. "Skywalker, we want to ask you some questions before we get to the matter at hand, all right?"

"Go on," Luke said in an emotionless tone, meeting Windu's gaze straight on. Windu nodded.

"On Alderaan," Windu started, and Luke visibly stiffened, "many people all over the Galaxy sensed a powerful release of anger and grief into the Force in the form of a Force Scream...we just want confirmation that it was indeed you who was the source."

Luke nodded stiffly. "Yes, I was."

Windu steepled his fingers together. "I see...The times you've seen Judro...what has he said to you?"

"He's extended an offer to join him, and tried to enforce that same offer. As well as threatened everyone close to me if I refuse." Luke was silent for a few moments. "A threat that he has recently started to carry out."

"Just where, exactly, does your allegiance lie at the moment? Some of us find that a little...unclear, at the present time," said the icy Jedi Master. Luke stiffened and turned to face him fully.

"Not with Judro, if that's what you're asking," Luke said sharply, eyes flashing momentarily. Behind him, Mara stifled a smile at how quickly he had shot down that accusation before the Jedi Master could even fully make it.

"So, given the chance, you would help us in the effort to protect the Republic from this war Judro's declared on us?" a female Falleen Master asked him.

Luke turned cool eyes on her, speaking in an unwavering voice. "This war isn't what you think it is. This is a war on me veiled by a war on the Republic." He let his gaze sweep over all those in the room, holding each of their gazes so that they could see that he meant every word that he said. "It was a one sided war until a few days ago."

"What are you suggesting?" The Falleen asked in an even tone.

"I'm saying that this entire time Judro's target hasn't been the Republic, it's been me. He holds a personal vendetta against me; one he will stop at nothing to sate. Even when the Chancellor was kidnapped and he basically had the Republic by the throat, he told me that Chancellor Kuroth was just a small, side achievement. That I was the real prize he was after. Ruling over the galaxy is just a sub-plot for his true schemes. What he really wants is to bring me under his heel or have my head on a pike; he hasn't seemed to have decided yet," Luke said dryly.

"If all he wants is you, then instead of running the risk of you falling again—as I personally believe you will—and turning against us, why shouldn't we just hand you over?" that one Jedi Master asked. Anger flared in several spots in the room, but it was the fiery red-head that was observing that snapped at the Jedi Master first.

"How about we send you to him, hmm? In fact, we can send you there in pieces in indivi—"

"Mara," Luke said sharply, cutting her off and turning to give her a hard look. Her mouth snapped shut, though the venomous look she was giving the Jedi Master remained. Luke turned a hard gaze on the Jedi Master that had constantly pushed for the worst when it came to Luke, meeting his gaze with a calm he was sure infuriated the man. "I will not turn; not again. Back to the matter of why I'm here in the first place; I know that it's to hear the decision on whether or not I will be accepted back into the Jedi Order. No matter what the decision is...I'm not coming back. At least, not anytime soon."

Surprise flickered across several faces, but Luke continued before anyone could stop him. "There's too much I need to do, too many amends I have to make before I come back. Most of what I need to do, I can only do outside of this Order. Truthfully...I'm not ready to come back, and even though part of me does want to return...after everything that's happened, I'm not entirely sure that I ever truly can. I highly doubt that I'd be warmly welcomed by many if I do decide to return, and my return might even drive more people away from the Order." He turned his intense gaze on his father, willing the older Skywalker to understand his decision. "For the most part...there's some things that I have to do first before I even let myself consider coming back."

Several long beats of silence followed Luke's revelation before Master Mundi leaned forward. "What of the information that you hold; your father informed us that you told him there were traitors within the Jedi Order. Will you not share that knowledge with us?"

Luke shook his head. "As I remember them, I will give my father names. I don't have to be a part of the Order to provide that information, though I have to remember before I can impart what I know."

"One last question then," Windu said emotionlessly, fixing Luke with an unwavering stare that Luke held with an expression of ease. "Does the dark side still have any amount of a hold on you?"

Luke was silent for several long, tense moments. Luke cast his gaze to the floor, thinking back on the past few years. "It's a strong, seductive tempter...and I find myself walking the line more often than I care to admit...but I am not Eius, not anymore. I won't willingly go back down that path."

"That's not an answer to his question," the icy Jedi Master pointed out. "It's a simple yes or no."

Luke looked up, his jaw set in stubborn determination. "Not really, no. Not when your entire worlds gone from black and white to gray. No, the dark side does not control me, but yes, I do struggle with it from time to time, much more often than any other point in my life." Luke sighed, shaking his head slightly. "If that is all, Masters...I'll take my leave now," Luke said, already turning for the door.

Before he could leave, his father's voice reached him. "Luke...whenever you want to come back to the Order...we'll be waiting. The door is open for you, should you decide you do want to return."

Luke turned his attention to his father momentarily. "Thank you," he said honestly. "But don't bet on my return. I'm not so sure if it's for me anymore."

With that, Luke turned away, gesturing to Mara and placing a hand on her back as they walked side by side out of the Council Room. The doors slid shut behind them and Luke lifted his hood once more, shielding his face from any prying eyes. Mara was smiling faintly at him, and Luke gave her a strange look.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked curiously, his voice low as they made their way through the Temple halls.

"You," Mara said simply. "It was nice to see you stand up for yourself and turn them down. I saw the Luke I've been missing reappear in there."

Luke cast his eyes towards her happy expression and the twinkle in her eyes, a pang going through his heart. _If only she knew..._

"It had to be said...and I don't think I want to be in there much longer; I don't know if I want to be _here_ much longer," he muttered in reply.

"We can go home right now, we don't have to linger here," Mara said softly. Luke nodded.

"I know; that's what I was planning."

Mara wound her arm through his. "At least you don't have to worry about operating under the Council and can move at your own pace this way. You can spend all the time home with your family that you need."

Luke forced himself not to react to her words. "Yes...I guess so," he said vaguely. He did his best not to think of how, soon, his true motives would be revealed. By the time that happened...

Well, he wouldn't have to worry about that for a while.

* * *

Night fell on the Skywalker home sooner than Luke had expected it would. Padme and Anakin were asleep in their room, Mara once more shared a room with Luke, and Leia and Han were elsewhere at their own apartment. While everyone else was asleep though...Luke was not. No, Luke was up and about, moving with the practiced ease of silence that allowed him to move about without disturbing anyone. He was fully dressed in his Death Star clothes, a pack with a few changes of clothes, enough credits to get by, and a few other miscellaneous items was slung over his shoulder. He paused before he left his room, staring down at Mara as she lay, peacefully asleep in his bed. For a moment, his heart ached, and he took the time to cross the room and place a chaste kiss on her lips before he pushed the feelings aside—before they could change his mind—and he left the room.

It was the middle of the night, and the lights of Coruscant shone all around the apartment in a light that rivaled the stars. Luke didn't care though. He crossed the room and softly laid his holodisk with his pre-recorded explanation on the kitchen counter in plain view, making his way to the landing pad and the speeder. He paused at the veranda, giving his home one last sweep to commit it to memory.

"Where do you think you're going Skywalker?"

Luke closed his eyes and heaved a sigh, dropping his chin to his chest. He should have known he'd wake her up; it would have been better if he just left.

When Luke didn't answer, he heard shuffled movement, and Mara approached him with a look of concern. "Luke...what's going on with you?"

Luke finally turned to face her, his expression completely stoic as he took a seat on the couch's armchair. "Mara...before all of this happened...I had a dream—a vision, though I didn't acknowledge it as one at the time—that I finally understand."

Mara frowned, coming to a stop in front of him. "What are you talking about?"

Luke sighed. "In the dream...there was darkness, and two people calling out to me, asking where I was, and then calling for my help. I tried to, but I couldn't. A man whose face I couldn't see, but his eyes I could killed them while I struggled to break free. One of the people that called for my help...was Jeza," Luke said softly, his eyes becoming unfocused as his mind thrust him back just a few days prior; painfully forcing the image of Jeza's unmoving body, her whispered last words, to the front of his mind.

Mara's gaze softened, and she gently touched Luke's arm. "Luke..."

Luke looked up sharply, catching her tone of voice. "The other was you," he said firmly, with an intensity he knew threw her off guard. Gently, he clasped her hand inside of his own. "Mara, he'll come for you next; I know he will. That's why I have to go; I can't let that happen. I can't lose you too."

Mara yanked her hand back, a look of hurt and shock flashing across her face. "And you think leaving is going to help anyone? Do you really think that's going to help? Judro will still come after us to draw you back out; you won't be able to disappear."

Luke cast his eyes away from her face. "I don't want to disappear, I..." he momentarily lost his voice, staring at the ground below. "I'm going to him."

Mara froze, trying to catch his eyes and see the true intent behind his words. "Y-you're going to join him? To save me? To save us?"

Luke still wouldn't look her in the eyes. "No, I'm going after him; I have to face him...and I won't let him get away with what he did to J...to Jeza," he said, starting out firm before his voice trembled and broke. He gathered himself again, his gaze flickering up towards her eyes. "This is something I have to do alone as well. I knew none of you would understand that, so I didn't say anything, and I decided to leave while no one was watching."

"You weren't even going to say goodbye?" Mara whispered. "Luke...the last time you faced him you were almost killed."

"Not this time," Luke said with a vehemence that obviously alarmed her. He calmed his tone. "Not this time...and whether I have your approval or not, I'm still leaving."

"Please Luke, don't go," Mara whispered. "There's plenty of other ways this can happen, you don't have to go to him alone—"

Luke stood up sharply from his seat on the arm. "That's not true and you know it," he said firmly. He took her hand in his once again, gently rubbing little circles on her knuckles as he spoke in calmer tones. "I have to do this on my own; please Mara, you must understand that. This isn't _just_ for me, either...it's for Jeza, and to protect you. This is one of the paths I have to take alone, and I _want_ to take alone; you know that's true, I know you do."

Mara searched his gaze for several long moments, and Luke didn't break eye contact, staring right back, willing her to understand, to let him go...

Something in her eyes shifted, and Luke felt Mara come to a decision. "I love you..." she whispered softly.

Luke sighed long and low, holding her hand close to his heart as he leaned down and gave her a slow kiss on the lips, letting the sensation last as their mouths moved together in perfect time and pure emotion for perhaps several minutes. Eventually, Luke pulled away, running his free hand through her hair and gazing upon her face in open yet pained adoration. "Thank you for understanding," he whispered. "I love you too."

With that, he leaned down and planted one last kiss against her smooth cheek, letting his lips linger before he pulled away again, letting go of her hand as he turned to walk away. Mara didn't let go, and they clung to each other's fingertips until Luke took the step that broke the contact and carried him out of Mara's reach. He heard her make a soft, pained sound when his fingers pulled away, but he didn't acknowledge it. He crossed the rest of the distance between himself and the speeder, slinging his pack into the passenger side and then taking off without a backwards glance. He knew if he did look back, there was a chance he would turn around and come right back to Mara.

He was doing this for her...for Jeza...for himself...

He knew he needed to.

There wasn't a doubt in his mind.

He was leaving for a purpose.

_You got your wish Judro...you have me._

_Now I'm coming for you, just like you wanted._

* * *

Back at the apartment, Mara watched the dot that was the speeder until Luke was long out of range, her heart aching painfully. Was this the last time she'd see him? Would he come back? If he did come back, would he still be Luke?

Mara took a shuddering breath, hugging herself and staring up at the sky as she whispered out a soft plea.

"Please...come back to us safely Luke..."


	12. Chapter 12: Schemes and Leaks

**_Uhg, I stayed up all night lol (Not only writing this but also watching my father play Arkham Knight. That game is amazing, I love it, Mark's Joker is stunning and I will probably have nightmares thanks to a few moments where he just popped out at us haha)_**

**_I hope you like this, this is one of those lovely "Connecting Chapters" as I call them, haha._**

**_I don't really have anything to say, my brains already going into sleep mode haha_**

**_PLEASE like my Facebook Page, there's all sorts of stuff on it :D AngelDesaray of Fanfiction_**

**_PLEEAAASSSEEEE Review!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

When Anakin woke up the next morning, he could tell simply by the feel in the air that something was off. Glancing down at his still-slumbering wife, Anakin gently disentangled himself from Padme and slipped out of the bed, shrugging on his under tunic and running a hand through his tousled hair.

The halls were silent, and it seemed no one else was awake but Anakin. Quietly, he made his way to the kitchen, turning on the caf machine ahead of time while he blearily ran a hand down his face as if to wipe away the sleep. He let the machine to its warm up, ambling into the living room where he would have a perfect view of the sun finally appearing over the Coruscant skyline.

However, he found his usual spot on the couch was occupied by a sleeping red head, who also just happened to have a familiar article of white clothing clutched in her hands. Anakin frowned, glancing back in the direction of his son's room as he tried to figure out why Mara was out here instead of in with...with...

Anakin couldn't sense Luke.

Fear clutched at Anakin's heart for a moment and he reached out to grasp Mara's arm, gently shaking her awake. "Mara...Mara, wake up," he said firmly.

The red head groaned, instinctively clutching the white tunic in her hands closer to her face as her eyelids fluttered open slowly. "Mm, what...?" she asked sleepily, stretching like a feline.

"Mara, where's Luke?" Anakin asked, his eyes never leaving hers while she steadily came out of dreamworld and back to reality. Anakin noticed that her grip on the tunic tightened.

"Luke?" she asked, though Anakin could feel pain and sorrow slowly dawning on her as the memories came back to her. She met Anakin's eyes only briefly before she looked away, slowly sitting up and tucking the tunic to her chest. "He left."

Anakin's eyes narrowed. Maybe he was just jumping to conclusions... "What do you mean he left?"

"I mean he packed a bag, left a note, and slipped out in the middle of the night, with no plans for even saying goodbye besides that holorecording," Mara said harshly until her voice broke at the end. "If I hadn't been woken up, I wouldn't have caught him before he left."

"And you let him leave?" Anakin asked sharply. Mara was immediately offended, rising to her feet.

"Do you think I _wanted_ him to go? You know how he gets! When he decides that he has to do something, there's nothing that's going to stop him from following through with it," she said with a scowl, turning away. "And if you would have seen him...could hear him when he talked...no matter how much I wanted him to stay, to get him not to leave...I couldn't. Besides, nothing was going to stop him from leaving—not even me."

Anakin frowned, moving so that she was facing him once again. "So why did he leave?"

Mara glanced at him. "I'm sure you can figure it out."

Anakin's heart plummeted. He'd been hoping that small nagging voice in the back of his mind was wrong; he should have known better. "He shouldn't have gone alone," Anakin said firmly as Mara moved towards the kitchen.

"He wanted to; and truthfully, I agree that this is something he needs to do alone, despite how much I want to help him."

"Mara, you know what will happen if Luke goes after him out of vengeance—"

"He's going there to end all of this, before any more people get hurt...he's going to protect me...he feels that Judro is going to come after me next if he doesn't stop him first because of a dream he had..."

"He obviously isn't thinking straight Mara, why didn't you stop him? Now we'll have to find him before he can find Judro," Anakin said in a low growl, turning to head back to his room. If he moved quickly enough, he'd be able to catch up to Luke and stop him before things got too out of hand...

"Anakin," Mara called out firmly, stopping him from moving much further. In her hand was the holodisc that Luke had left behind. "I think Luke explained himself better than I can."

Anakin hesitated. The holodisc would slow him down if Anakin decided Luke's reasoning wasn't reasoning at all, but at the same time...what if Luke had a perfectly good reason? With a sigh, Anakin took the holodisc from Mara, making his way over to the datapad he kept on one of the couch side tables. With a sigh, he sat down on the couch while Mara sat across from him, Sliding the holodisc into the device. An image of Luke appeared, and Anakin couldn't help but wince at the sorrowful look in Luke's eyes. He was obviously still coping; reason number one why Anakin didn't want Luke out looking for Judro right now.

"Father, Mother," Luke started in a tired voice. "Whichever of you find this first...I'm sorry, but I had to leave. I don't expect you to understand, I know you want me to sit back and cope with everything that's happened before I get back into the thick of things, but...I can't. I have to go after Judro; he's not going to wait for me to cope, he's going to hit me again while I'm down unless I do something about it. On top of that, I _know_ he'll go after Mara next, and I _can't_ lose her too," Luke said fiercely, a fire of determination burning in his eyes.

"If I go alone, and if I go to him, then I'll be able to draw him out; but only this way, only alone. I have to do this, I'm sorry. I know you don't like that I'm going alone, and I know you probably think I'm not thinking clearly, but...I have to do this alone; I want to do this alone. I can't stand the thought of anyone else getting hurt because of me. Besides, by now I think I've earned the right to take care of Judro myself. I promise that I'll come home, but not until this is over. I have to make sure you're safe, and...and I promised Jeza I wouldn't let him—or anyone else that might be involved—get away with this. Please, just...let me go. I'm not just doing this for myself; I'm doing this for Jeza, and Mara, for all of you as well. No one else is going to get hurt because of the vendetta Judro has against me—I have to end this...I love you all." He hesitated before he tacked on a final, "Don't try to find me or stop me, it will only make things worse. Besides, I'm probably already off-planet and en-route elsewhere."

The transmission ended and Anakin sat staring at where the image of his son had been not moments earlier. Mara watched him silently for a few moments before she finally broke the tension.

"So what are you going to do?"

"He's right...following after him will only chase Judro away," Anakin murmured with a sigh. "And he's the only one Judro will let in if he gets wind Luke's looking for him...so long as he doesn't think Luke's trying to kill him...But I'm not going to do nothing..."

"So..."

"I'm going to use my connections to keep track of where he is; I at least have to know _where_ he is and a general idea of how he's doing, or this is going to drive me mad," Anakin said, standing up sharply.

"You're going to let him go?" Mara asked, standing up with him. Anakin sighed.

"For now...if I think things are getting too dangerous, or if I feel he's losing himself, I'll pull him out _myself_."

"I actually take comfort in that; thank you."

Anakin started moving back towards the kitchen; he was going to need a lot of caf today. "I'm going to go make a few calls; don't tell Padme if she wakes up before I'm done, I want to tell her myself."

"Of course Anakin," Mara said. Anakin paused in what he was doing, turning back around to stand firmly in front of Mara. He gently grasped her chin in his hand, making sure she looked him in the eyes.

"He loves you, you know; he loves you as much as I love Padme. If my son is anything like me, he'll do anything to keep you safe, even at the cost of his own life. I don't know about his soul though, as he's been down that road and knows where it leads; let's hope we never find out," Anakin said gently, still holding her gaze. "You need to be aware of that, you need to know the effect you have on him. When it comes down to it, you're most likely going to be what makes him or breaks him. I don't want to see him hurt like that. Know the hold you have over him; should something ever happen, it will be important for you to know, so that _you_ can do what you need to in order to keep him safe. He's right; the best way to hurt him now is through you, and his enemies will come after you."

"I'll be sure to be careful," Mara said slowly as Anakin let go of her chin.

"That won't always be enough," Anakin replied with a slow shake of his head. With that, Anakin turned away from her and left to establish some contacts that would keep their eyes out for Luke.

If he couldn't be there for Luke, the least he could do was keep an eye out for him.

* * *

Luke settled down in a secluded corner of the shuttle for the third time since he'd boarded. Unfortunately, he had a very recognizable face, and he kept getting suspicious glances wherever he sat. Here, in the way back right in the corner, he could easily hunker down and appear like he was sleeping. With his hood pulled low over his face and a hand resting readily on his lightsaber, Luke leaned his head against the wall and let his eyes wander over the other passengers.

There was a family onboard, a few shady characters, a bounty hunter or two, but no one in immediate sight that Luke felt might be a viable threat. That was good; it meant he could take time to sit back and figure out just what he wanted to do now that he'd successfully given his family the slip.

He paused to feel the spike of regret at the thought before he pushed it aside and continued on with his planning.

Judro wanted Luke to join him; if Luke somehow made Judro believe that Luke had consented, Luke would be able to get close enough to Judro to kill him. Judro wouldn't believe it right away though; Judro would want Luke to prove it...

Luke shoved that train of thought away. There had to be a different approach...he could take an assassin approach; infiltrate Judro's operations enough so that he could figure out where the man was. Once he had that piece of information, he would be able to sneak in...

Luke sighed and closed his eyes, taking several deep, calming breaths. No matter what he did, Luke was going to end up in a position where he just _knew_ he'd be tempted by the dark side. The question was, would he be strong enough to resist when that time came? It wasn't exactly how Luke infiltrated that was the problem; it was whether or not Luke could resist the dark side's seductive pull. It had tugged on him a few times as of late, but he'd been able to resist for the most part. When Judro's life was his to take, however...that was going to be a different situation entirely.

Determined not to accidentally talk himself out of all of this, Luke went back to figuring out how he was going to go about all of this. Once he landed...wherever this shuttle was taking him—he hadn't really had a destination, he'd just jumped onboard the first ship headed out of Coruscant—he was going to find someone who would be willing to take him to one of the planets that had joined Judro. That or he could find himself enough credits to get his own ship to fly around. He supposed he could do some bounty hunting for some side cash on-planet once he arrived.

Someone approached him—one of the bounty hunters it appeared—and Luke tensed. "Hey—I want that spot, runt. I suggest you move," the Aqualish growled. Luke slipped his hand out of the folds of his cloak, discreetly moving his finger and peering at the man from under the darkness of his cowl.

"You don't want to cause any trouble," Luke murmured.

It took the Aqualish a while to speak, during which Luke began to worry that perhaps the bounty hunter had too strong of a mind. Finally, he spoke. "I don't want to cause any trouble."

"You want to sit somewhere else, and let me have this spot," Luke added, putting a little pressure into his words just to be sure that the man obeyed. The Aqualish nodded slowly.

"I want to sit somewhere else and let you have this spot," he said, and with that, he left to sit in some other corner of the ship. Luke relaxed back into his seat, turning his attention back to the wall. He closed his eyes, letting the cool metal under his forehead calm him down at the same time he summoned up a mental picture of Mara. His arm wrapped around her waist in the new hours of dawn while they lay together...of course they'd never made love or anything like that, they'd simply slept in the same bed. With a slow sigh, Luke continued to bring the mental picture to the front of his mind to calm himself. Mara's hair splayed out across the pillow, her cheeks flushed the lightest shade of pink as she slept, the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed...

Thinking of her calmed Luke down so much, he nearly fell asleep despite the fact he was supposed to be keeping an eye out.

* * *

When Anakin finally emerged from his calls, Mara was nowhere in sight and Padme was humming contently in the kitchen as she made her family breakfast. Anakin felt a pang go through his heart at the thought that he had to ruin her mood by telling her that Luke was gone—again—by his own choice this time. Anakin took a deep breath, preparing himself.

As he turned around the corner, Padme looked up with a smile. "There you are. I was beginning to wonder what happened to you. I don't think the other two are awake yet," she said in a cheerful tone of voice. "What were you doing?"

"I had to make a few calls," Anakin murmured. "Padme, we need to talk," he said softly, placing a hand over hers. Padme frowned, putting down what she was doing the moment she heard the tone in Anakin's voice.

"Ani, what's wrong?" she asked. "What's going on?"

Anakin grimaced. "Padme...Luke left in the middle of the night. He's going after Judro," he said seriously. Padme's eyes widened in surprise and horror.

"Alone? Anakin, he was nearly killed the last time he went up against Judro! He-he's not thinking clearly!"

"Padme, listen to me," Anakin said seriously. "Mara caught him trying to sneak out, and he left a holorecording to give us an explanation. I've listened to both and...I'm letting him go. He needs this, trust me. I was making calls so that I can get some of my eyes and ears up around the Galaxy keeping an eye out for him. He wants to do this alone, so I won't go after him, but I will at least watch out for him."

Padme covered her mouth with her hand, looking like she was trying to ward off unpleasant thoughts. "I'll...I'll make a few calls of my own. With both of our sources, we might just be able to find him and keep track of him...Anakin, what if he gets hurt—"

"Padme, Luke can take care of himself. He's almost thirty years old," Anakin said soothingly, rubbing her arms. "He's not helpless, and he knows what he's doing. We're going to have to trust him, respect his wishes, and keep our distance. I promise you though, if I think that it's getting too dangerous or that he's starting to lose sight of who he is, I will personally drag him out of there if I have to. You have my word Padme, we won't lose him again."

Padme sighed and hugged her husband tightly. "I just want him to come home safely Ani," she whispered.

"He will, I know he will," Anakin murmured into her hair. Gently, he pulled away. "I'm going to go see if Mara's hungry, is that all right with you?"

Padme nodded. "I'll...I'll finish up breakfast..."

Anakin gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek before he turned away, hearing Padme click on the Coruscant News Network about the same time that Anakin left the kitchen. When he returned a few short moments later, it was to see Padme watching the news at rapt attention. Anakin frowned, coming up beside her.

"Padme what is it?"

She wordlessly shook her head, and Anakin looked up at the news, following her gaze.

"...son of Jedi Grandmaster Anakin Skywalker seems to be attempting to turn over a new leaf!" the female Rodian news anchor was saying. "Luke Skywalker made headlines not too long ago when, after coming out of his exile after only five years, he received a full pardon from Chancellor Kuroth; an act the Chancellor is still receiving flak for. He was sent into that exile when he was found guilty of charges of mass murder, treason, conspiracy, torture, kidnapping, arson, blackmail, and theft; quite a terrifying record. In fact, Skywalker's victims are _still_ being found to this very day!"

"What's he making the news for now, Lilia?" her coworker, a male Mirilan, asked.

"Well, apparently he was involved in the evacuation of Alderaan, J'mar," she replied. "Our sources tell us that he was seen evacuating residents with none other than Mara Jade, the woman that has _quite_ a few _tantalizing_ rumors surrounding her when it comes to Luke Skywalker, and an unidentified gray skinned twi'lek girl. He was involved in several rescues, including the rescue of a small boy named Zane from a burning building!"

"Sounds like he's trying to make up for all the crimes he committed in the past," J'mar mused.

"That's not the half of it," Lilia replied with a light laugh. "One of the refugees onboard the ship that Skywalker was on recorded what happened when Zane was reunited with his mother, thinking that it was simply going to be a heartwarming reunion between a mother and son; something many of the Alderaan refugees were going to need to see to lift the spirits. They ended up with way more than they bargained for! Take a look."

Immediately, the picture shifted to show the cargo bay of the _Millennium Falcon_, and Anakin watched as a young boy was reunited with a woman, the mother embracing her son while Luke stood off to the side, head down. The boy said something, and whoever was recording moved closer to pick up the dialogue.

"...Luke who baby?" the woman asked the boy.

"That Luke; the man who saved me," the boy replied, gesturing towards Luke who was still standing off to the side. Luke seemed to shrink a little as he was pointed out, and the woman and the little boy approached him, the woman beaming with happiness.

"I cannot thank you enough for saving my little boy..." she started to say, though she suddenly trailed off when Luke looked up and made eye contact, recognition flashing across her face. Luke tensed in anticipation the same time anger morphed the mother's features. "You!" she she breathed out, and then suddenly her hand snapped up and slapped him so hard across the face Luke's head snapped to the side and blood started to flow out of his mouth. Padme jumped when it happened, and Anakin tensed in obvious anger. How Luke reacted though, was most of what got to his parents. He didn't even fight back. He licked the blood from his lips once and, realizing that the blood flow wasn't going to stop, did nothing else to stop the bleeding. He didn't even ask why, he simply stood there and took whatever she threw at him with a dejected, defeated look; like he was used to this sort of thing and was tired of fighting.

"I thought you were exiled! I was watching the news that day, I saw you put on the ship—_how are you here?_" the mother shrieked at him.

"I...received a pardon..." Luke said so quietly the video feed hardly picked it up.

"Why would they give a monster like you a _pardon_? You took my _daughter_ away from me!"

Padme placed a hand on the counter to brace herself as she suddenly weaved dangerously, and Anakin felt his heart shatter at the same time as the woman's words hit Luke at full force. Their son looked as if he couldn't breathe, and tears were evident in his eyes; he looked as if she'd shot him. "I-I-I'm so sor...sorry," Luke forced out in a bare whisper. The woman laughed in his face, and Anakin felt his temper flare again.

"Sorry? _You're sorry?_ Sorry won't bring my daughter back! You'd have to know what it feels like to be sorry, and you _don't_! You know _nothing_ of the loss that I went through because of _you_! I don't care what you did to receive your _precious_ pardon, because I see what you truly are, and you will never redeem yourself in the eyes of those whose lives you've _destroyed_!"

With that, the woman turned her back on Luke and dragged her son as far away from him as possible. Luke stood there, the tears no longer restrained to his eyes as he gasped in air like he was suffocating before he turned and rushed out of the room. The feed froze, and Lilia started speaking off screen.

"Now we'll see what happened moments later, when Mara Jade entered the picture; what we learn is absolutely _shocking_..."

Anakin glanced at Mara, who was staring at the screen with enlightened horror slowly dawning on her face. That was his first sign that something unpleasant was about to happen.

The feed picked up again with Mara marching up to the woman in an obvious fury. "What's wrong with you?" Mara growled, earning a blank stare from the woman. The woman's expression only furthered Anakin's anger with the woman.

"What are you talking about?" the woman said in an offended tone.

"Luke, that's what I'm talking about. He just saved your boy's life, and that's how you thank him?" Mara snarled at her.

"He doesn't deserve my thanks. What he deserves is to rot in a cell, or better yet be put to death for all the families he's destroyed," the woman shot back, getting to her feet. Mara was obviously livid, but she kept her tone forcibly calm.

"Didn't you see the look on his face? In his eyes? He's not the man that killed your daughter, and he's completely repentant of what he did five years ago. He knows what it's like—"

"He knows _nothing_ of the pain he put this family through," the woman said hotly, but Mara finally snapped, her shout carrying throughout the cargo hold.

"He just lost _his_ daughter not even an hour ago! Not even an _hour_!" Mara shouted in the woman's face. "She was _murdered_ just because she called him Father. And you have the _audacity_ to say—"

Mara took a deep breath before she continued on angrily. "That girl was his entire world; and she was just murdered in cold blood while he went to save _your_ son, simply because she was associated with him. Don't you _dare_ try and say that he doesn't know, that he doesn't understand, that he doesn't _feel_; he knows all too well what it's like."

With that, the feed went dark and shifted back to the news anchors. "I must say Lilia...I was _not_ expecting _that_. I thought it was a shock enough when that lady lashed out at him like that, but to find out he had a daughter! And she was murdered right before that all happened! Wow, that was unexpected! You've got to wonder what was going through his head when she was shouting at him about the loss of her daughter at his hand."

"I know J'mar. I must say after seeing that...I really think that the young Skywalker is turning over a new leaf! I'm starting to see why Chancellor Kuroth gave him that pardon. The question is, will other's see? Was this little boy's mother right when she said he will _never_ be redeemable in the eyes of his victims? One of our sources in the Jedi Temple was able to shed some light on Skywalker's mysterious daughter, and we found out that she's adopted, taken in under the young Skywalker's wing the day he came into exile, and the only survivor of one of his massacres! She was completely aware of the fact that he was the one who slaughtered everyone in her village too, but that didn't change anything! We're told she avidly defended Skywalker to the Jedi Council, and vouched for letting him return to the Jedi Order. Our source further tells us that Skywalker _refused_ to rejoin as well—"

They didn't hear much more, as Anakin reached over and turned the monitor off. There was silence in the kitchen for several long, long moments before Padme finally spoke. She was facing Mara, tears in her eyes and trailing silently down her cheeks.

"Thank you...so much...for defending him. I cannot begin to explain..." Padme said before she started crying, and Anakin was shaken out of his thoughts and moved to comfort his wife. While he held Padme close, he held Mara's gaze.

"I agree with Padme...and while I am grateful...I'm more worried about their informant inside of the Jedi Temple. I have a pretty good idea who it was, and I'm going to make sure that punishment is swiftly dealt so that no one finds it in themselves to believe that just because of Luke's history, they can spill such secrets to the media," Anakin said darkly, his eyes flashing.

Mara shook her head. "I don't know if it's going to be a good thing or a bad thing that this got out...though I can say this much...now, wherever he is, Judro knows that he broke Luke with Jeza's death," Mara said quietly.

Padme wiped her eyes clean, pulling away from her husband. "As soon as we finish eating, I'm going right to the press with Kuroth and demanding that they remain silent on this issue due to Luke's security. We can't have things like this leaking out while he's out there, alone, looking for Judro..." Padme said, trailing off with a shake of her head. "We have to stop them before this gets too far."

Anakin nodded. "I agree; especially with this Jedi Informant; there's too much that's supposed to remain in the Council Room that's not to be brought to the public eye, and already that's been violated...I'm probably going to have to take my breakfast to go Padme, they'll want me at the Temple as soon as possible."

Padme sighed. "That's all right, I'm used to it," she said wearily. Anakin watched Mara as she sat down at the table, staring at a fixed spot on the table.

"I wonder if Luke saw the news," she said softly. The kitchen grew quiet for several long moments before movement resumed.

"He'll be fine," Anakin murmured, gently squeezing Mara's arm.

It sounded more like he was reassuring himself than Mara.


	13. Chapter 13: Just Business

_**Wow this chapter ended up longer than I thought it would be.**_

_**So i gotta keep things short cause i'm in a hurry/on vacation: I had a lot of fun with this chapter, yes you should be worried, please go like my facebook page if you havent allready and you have a facebook page (AngelDesaray of Fanfiction), and guess what, I'm soon to be a published author! I'll tell you guys when my book is offically on the market, how does that sound?**_

_**THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEWS! (I realized i haven't thanked you for them in a long time; I havne't told you how much I appreciate and love reading your reactions in, like, forever!)**_

_**Please continue to review, I want your thoughts, opinions, and reactions to this chapter really badly lol.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

_**(One Month Later, Three Days Ago)**_

"Again? Seriously?"

Jezebel looked up at the annoyed tone in her friend's voice, glancing around the dirty cantina. Well, compared to the rest of Nar Shaddaa, it was actually as clean as it was going to get. Over in the corner, a haggard, bearded man was getting the crap beat out of him by three Trandoshans. Still, in between every blow he'd straighten up as much as he could, grin, and goad them in some new way, earning a new beating. Jezebel shook her head.

"That's the fifth time this week; just this week!" her friend, Azalea, said with disgust and a shake of her head. "Deadbeat drunk."

"We've seen plenty of deadbeats around here Azalea; I thought you could see the difference between a deadbeat and a man that's been through the Nine Corellian Hells by now," Jezebel scolded. "He wants them to hurt him."

"Yeah, cause he's crazy," Azalea said pointedly.

"No, because he's hurting already, and the physical pain's better than the emotional," Jezebel answered, smiling just slightly and shaking her head. Azalea snorted, pulling one of Jezebel's blue lekkus.

"You've been spending too much time around the drunks," she told her seriously, leaning forward in her barstool seat. Jezebel leaned across the counter, grabbing the Corellian Whiskey bottle that was still sitting on the counter.

"It happens when you're a bartender; you learn how to read people," she whispered like she was telling a secret. Azalea chuckled, grabbing her apron off of the seat next to her and tying it back around her waist.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I've got to keep being a waitress to the still somewhat sober people while you serve the desperate drunks; have fun!" Azalea hopped off of the stool, gave a little wave, and then walked away, her light pink lekkus swaying from side to side.

The young twi'lek smiled a little before she turned her attention back to the haggard man that was getting beat up in the corner while no one batting an eye. Several people looked right over the scene with disinterest; it was actually rather common to see someone getting beat up in these cantinas. Jezebel sighed, staring at the man sympathetically as the Trandoshans finally managed to beat him down and _keep_ him down. The bearded man stayed on the floor for several long minutes, and Jezebel kept a close eye on him while she served the others, only halfway paying attention to her customers. Just as she was about to call Verrel to go over there and see if he was still alive, the man stirred, slowly pushing himself up off of the floor. He stumbled over to the bar, leaning heavily against the counter as he pushed himself into the seat. Jezebel had to force herself not to wince at the bloodied state he was in; there was even blood matted and starting to dry in his shabby black beard that looked rather new. His black hair was past his ears, but still above his shoulders, falling in roguish waves and curls. Despite the blood, he was actually rather handsome in a rugged sort of way.

The thing she loved most about him though was his eyes; they were so blue, and in the rare moments when they weren't hazy with misery, grief, pain, or liquor, they twinkled and shone brighter then aquamarines. Still, Jezebel had yet to get a name from the man in the week and a half he'd been in the area; it was really starting to bother her.

Jezebel approached him, concern wrinkling her forehead. "Hey...are you all right?"

He grunted quietly in response. "I'll be fine..." he murmured, lifting his head off of the counter. "The usual..."

Jezebel cocked an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure you don't want something else, like Dodbri Whiskey? It's still strong..."

The man shook his head. "No, I need my usual," he grunted. Jezebel sighed, pulling out the three bottles she needed to make his usual. The memories must have been haunting him again; he never said just what those memories were, but Jezebel could tell when they came because he would allow himself to be hurt more and he would drink until he was completely gone.

He watched her with the hazy blue eyes as she mixed together Noonian Fixer with Corellian and Tevraki Whiskey, and she reluctantly gave him the drink. "I'm just saying, with how many times you've had it this week; shouldn't you try something else? Noonian Fixer _alone_ is powerful."

"I'll be fine," the man assured her, taking the drink from her thankfully and taking a large swig from the glass. Jezebel had learned long ago to give him a larger glass of the mixture so that she wouldn't have to keep mixing the drink over and over. He sighed in content, relaxing visibly as the Tevraki part of the drink warmed him, the strength of the Noonian hit him, and the Corellian taste hit the senses. He did have a fine taste in alcohol, she could give him that. And despite the strengths of the drinks, Jezebel had noticed that it took a while to actually start affecting him, and even when it did he seemed much more alert than he should be, almost like the drunkenness was being faked.

After the alcohol took effect, they fell into their normal conversation. "So, any new strangers or persons of interest wander into the cantina recently?" the man asked, twirling the glass idly in his hands before he took another swift drink. Jezebel studied him for a moment. Now that she got a good look at him, she was sure that she'd only ever seen him in three or four outfits...the sleek but worn all black one was the one he wore most often...

She shrugged. "No, not really, nothing beside your normal bounty hunters," she said nonchalantly. Her eyes flickered over to the hidden room in the back. "Well...there is one person that just came into town...though I'm not really supposed to say anything..."

The man chuckled, taking another quick gulp. "Oh, who's a deadbeat like me going to tell?"

"You're not a deadbeat," Jezebel immediately protested. The man leaned forward, a surprisingly secretive smile dancing across his face.

"I think there are plenty of people here who would agree to disagree with you," he pointed out.

"That may be true but I can tell there's more to you than what you let people see," she argued. The man cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Oh really?" he asked, taking a slower drink to finish off his first glass. "Keep the drinks coming, please," he added as a side thought. Jezebel pulled out the three bottles again, keeping them on the counter this time after she'd mixed his drink.

"I notice things," she said evasively, earning a chuckle from the man and a real smile, one of the ones that coaxed a temporary twinkle into his eyes before he settled back into seriousness. He took another drink.

"So you're observant...tell me, what's been going on in the galaxy lately? I've been otherwise _preoccupied_," the man asked, grinning in a half-drunk way.

Jezebel shrugged. "It's been rather quiet. The most fuss has been over that Luke Skywalker fellow—he disappeared without a trace about a month ago and there's still no sign of him, and they're _still_ fussing about it. There's been a lot of stuff come to light about him recently, like the fact he turned down returning to the Jedi Order; still, he's not as bad of a guy as people keep making him out to be. He even had a daughter!" Jezebel suddenly became very quiet. "I feel sorry for him, for what happened to her; a terrible thing really, absolutely horrible..."

The man was frowning, a strange, mourning expression on his face. Jezebel brushed it off as having to do with the alcohol. "How'd they find out about all of that?" he asked, his speech a little slurred.

Jezebel shrugged. "Some lady from the Alderaan tragedy was recording when there was this spat with another Alderaan rescue on the ship Skywalker was on, and apparently the Jedi have a leak. From what I heard the Jedi Grandmaster has been going through weeding out those leaks; he even suspended one of the Jedi Council Members from what I heard."

"That is interesting," the man said solemnly. The seriousness was gone so quickly Jezebel wondered if she'd imagined it as he leaned forward again. "So what about this very important secret person?" he asked with a sly, tipsy smirk. Jezebel laughed softly, glancing down.

"Oh, all right, I guess it won't hurt...just don't tell anyone, all right?" she said in a low voice, leaning in so she could whisper as softly as possible to not be overheard but still be heard by the man. When he nodded and took another drink, she continued. "There's a man who came here earlier this morning; he's on a special _mission_ you could say, to see the crime lords here on Nar Shaddaa. I've heard a few whispers that he was sent here by Judro, the leader of the Insurgence."

"Is that so?" the man asked, tipping his glass once again. "That's someone rather important then..."

Jezebel shrugged. "He's only here for a few days, and he'll be in his room most of the time he's on the planet."

"Where's he staying?" the man asked. Jezebel was about to ask why he was so curious when the man hiccupped, and she brushed off the questions as the beginning of drunken curiosity. The questions would be flowing freely ranging from ridiculous to obvious soon.

"I'm not sure. Some people say he's at the Acklay Head Hotel, others say he's staying at Nexu Inn...he's only here every now and then, and when he comes in..." Jezebel looked around to make sure no one was listening. "He comes in a back door to be served privately in a hidden room. I don't even know how to get in there, and I've been working here for several years."

"Years? A sweet girl like you, here?" the man asked, taking another drink and swaying slightly in his seat. Jezebel frowned in concern for the man; he was obviously seriously injured and yet here he was downing the strong drink mixture like a man coming from Tatooine downed water.

"Hey, take it easy," she said in concern, touching his arm. The man leaned forward, settling down again and holding the cup firmly in his hands.

"Y'know, all the time I've been 'ere, I've yet to learn your name," he said. Jezebel couldn't help but be puzzled by the fact that he spoke with a flawless, drunken slur, yet his blue eyes seemed alert and attentive.

"I don't know yours either," Jezebel pointed out. The man chuckled.

"Fair enough, fair enough; though if I did give you a name, I couldn't give you _my_ name, because giving you my name would put you in danger. I don't want to put you in danger; you've been so kind to me while I've been here," the man said in a nonchalant tone. When he looked at her, however, she could almost feel the weight of seriousness in what he'd said.

"How would your name be enough to put me in trouble?" she scoffed, trying to keep a light tone. The man shifted in his seat, leaning forward with an intensity she'd never seen from him before.

"Because, I have a lot of enemies, and knowing my name would immediately tell them that you were associated with me. They don't care how, or how long, or how little or how much you might have meant to me; all they care is that you knew me, talked to me, came in contact with me, and it will get to me if they attack you because you knew me. If you don't know my name, then you don't know me, and you won't be associated with me." When he was done, the man leaned back a little, finishing off his glass with one quick gulp. "But for now, you can call me Lirik. May I please know your name?" he asked, the drunken slur gone, his eyes bright and alert as he studied her so closely she was suddenly very conscious of herself.

"J...Jezebel," she managed to stay, entranced. Who was this man?

At the sound of her name, he stiffened a little, and his eyes flashed with insufferable pain and immeasurable grief. He wordlessly held out his glass, and Jezebel quickly filled up his glass. He downed the entire thing in one quick round, sitting there silently for several long moments before he finally answered her.

"Jezebel...I once knew a young girl with a name very similar to yours. She was a twi'lek too; a very lively, independent one as well. Her name was Jeza," he said softly, his voice breaking on the girl's name. He shook himself, turning his attention back on her and reaching out a hand to clasp one of her hands in both of his. "I cannot thank you enough for the kindness that you've shown me here; I wish I could do more to pay you back."

"More?" Jezebel asked confused. The man—Lirik, she had to remember, he wanted to be called—ignored her question. Instead, he asked his own question.

"Do you have family here? A loved one, perhaps? Siblings?"

Jezebel nodded. "Yeah, my mother, and a little sister...I...I don't have a boyfriend...the only friend I have here really is Azalea."

Lirik nodded slowly, and Jezebel suddenly felt a pouch pushed into her hand. She glanced down at her hand, but Lirik tightened his grip. "Don't look. In there is enough credits for you, your mother, your sister, and Azalea to travel to and start a new life on Coruscant in a _good_ part of the planet, not the slums or underworld. Get out of here; you can have such a better life, and you're a wonderful person who deserves it." Jezebel opened and closed her mouth several times, astounded and thankful beyond words. Lirik continued. "As much as I hate to ask more of you, I must ask that you also pass along three messages for me; in the pouch are also three disks, marked accordingly as I'm about to tell you. Two of the disks I want you to give to either Anakin Skywalker or Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker. I suggest Padme, as she may be easier to reach than Anakin Skywalker, but one of the disks is for Anakin Skywalker alone, as its information that the Jedi Order needs desperately that only I could provide. The third is for a woman named Mara Jade; if you give it to either of the Skywalkers they can get it to her as well. Tell them that I'm safe, I love and miss them, and to stop having me followed or they're going to give me away. That's all I need is for you to get those disks and that one message to them, that's all I ask."

Jezebel's eyes widened in realization and she gasped. "Lu—"

Before she could finish he cut her off, waving one of his fingers discreetly out of sight of any onlookers. "You don't know who I really am, you don't know my real identity; you don't want to know."

What had she been about to say? "I don't know who you really are, and I don't want to know..." she repeated back, her mind suddenly foggy.

"You're not going to tell anyone about this conversation; you'll keep it to yourself no matter what anyone says or does," he said further. Jezebel nodded in acceptance

"I won't tell anyone about this conversation, no matter what anyone does," she replied. Lirik nodded.

"I'm sorry I had to use a mind trick," he murmured, holding her gaze and keeping a firm hold on her hand. "Get your friend and family, leave this place, and start your new life; make the best out of it. You deserve better."

The hazy fog thickened over her mind, and when her mind was once again clear, Lirik was gone. Jezebel's hand tightened over the pouch in her hand, and she was overcome with the need to do as Lirik had suggested. She set the bottle down on the table, pocketed the pouch, and went over to where Azalea was currently fighting off a drunken customer.

No one noticed the haggard, deadbeat drunk slip out the back of the cantina with the practiced ease of a perfectly sober Jedi. They were too entertained by a fight near the front between a man who knew he'd been bumped into and a man who had no idea what he was talking about.

* * *

_**(Present)**_

Anakin Skywalker had a spring in his step as he approached the Senate Building. While he was at the Jedi Temple today, he'd received a message from his wife telling him that one of her contacts had found Luke on Nar Shaddaa and had managed to snag a holopic of him as well. He'd dropped what he was doing on an understanding Obi-Wan Kenobi almost immediately and took his leave, promising to be back as soon as possible.

Things had been...tense inside of the Jedi Temple. After the leak to the media about Luke's life the past five or so years, Anakin had been swift to deal punishment out to the responsible Jedi Council Member. What had disgusted him the most was the fact that Dain Ghast—the Jedi that had been giving Luke grief ever since he'd returned—hadn't even regretted breaking such an old, respectable rule of the Jedi Council simply because he'd thrown dirt out there about Luke. Anakin had been all too happy to throw the man out of the Council, and suspend him from the Order for an indefinite amount of time—most likely until Anakin could tolerate seeing his face again.

Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Mace Windu had also recently headed a select team whose purpose was to find the traitors among them that Luke had hinted at. Only certain council members were aware of the effort, as they had no idea how high up the corruption truly ran, especially after the fiasco with Ghast. So far, they'd only found and arrested two. It was getting harder to keep the investigation quiet though, as whispers were sure to start spreading.

On the war front, things had been unusually quiet on Judro's side. Anakin was certain that he was preparing things and organizing treaties underground, but he was too preoccupied with the Alderaan relief effort and with the rebellions they were trying to quell and the planets they were trying to take back. He did have some experience with tracking rebellions, but that experience had also been while he was a Sith Lord, and many of the techniques he'd used then he couldn't use now because of their..._extreme_ nature.

Other than that, the family was taking Luke's sudden departure...as well as to be expected. Mara, Leia, and Han had all departed to try and hunt Luke down, but, respecting Luke's wishes and realizing that going after him now would only reveal him and put him in more danger than he was already in, Anakin and Padme had not told Mara and the others that they knew where Luke was. Besides, it usually took a while before they could relocate him, and whenever they did the information was always a little old and it was most likely that Luke had already moved again. He never went by the same alias either; every planet brought a new alias with it.

There had been a few times when Anakin's and Padme's contacts had noted that Mara, Leia, and Han arrived on a planet Luke had been on only days, sometimes hours after he'd left. They did have a vague sense of his trail, but not enough to catch up to him yet.

Anakin nodded as he passed a group of Senators. Nearly thirty years since the twins were born, and Padme was still finding ways to slip into the Senate building and be a part of politics. Her time as Senator was way past due, and she'd already served as a Representative, and now spent a lot of her time acting as an assistant. There were rumors that she would run for Coruscant Senator or Representative soon, but as far as Anakin was aware that wasn't really on her mind.

At least, it had never come up in conversation.

Anakin grinned when he spotted Padme a few paces ahead of him, talking in serious tones with a few Representatives and Senators. When she spotted her husband waiting patiently for her, however, she swiftly excused herself and beckoned for him to join her in one of the nearby unoccupied rooms. As soon as the door slid shut behind her, Padme hooked her arms around Anakin's neck.

"I'm so glad that they found him, and that he's still safe. It's been so long since someone spotted him I was starting to get worried," Padme said into Anakin's shoulder. Anakin rubbed her back reassuringly.

"Luke's strong, Padme, and despite everything that's happening I'm sure he knows what he's doing. He knows how to hide himself," Anakin assured her. He pulled back. "So what did Verrel say?"

Padme sighed. "He's been a regular in their cantina; Verrel's kept his distance so he doesn't alert him, and has mostly stayed out of his business." Padme winced suddenly. "He's apparently been acting as a drunk that gets into a lot of trouble, and he's been beaten up many times after goading several people into fights."

Anakin nodded, sighing. "Sounds like the perfect cover in a cantina on Nar Shaddaa; no one's going to really care what happens to him, so no one will pay him any attention. What about the picture? How does he look?"

Padme pulled a small datapad out of her robes; apparently she already had a holodisk inside it. She was smiling. "Apparently he's grown a beard."

She activated the datapad, and an image appeared before them of a man Anakin almost didn't recognize as Luke; he wouldn't have had he already known it was Luke. He'd grown his hair out as well as grown the small beard, but it appeared he'd also dyed his hair black at some point in time. He looked haggard and worn, but his eyes showed that he was alert and aware of the world around him. He also looked thinner than when they'd last seen him. Anakin sincerely hoped he hadn't contracted one of those horrible diseases that were rampant all over the planet.

"Well, we know he's alive...and well hidden," Anakin said, pulling his wife in close in a one-armed hug and staring at the image in front of him Luke was sitting at a bar talking to a twi'lek in the image, a glass in hand.

"I miss him Ani," Padme whispered. Anakin held her a little tighter.

"I know Padme...I miss him too," Anakin responded in a low murmur. The door on their left slid open, and Padme slipped the image away almost too fast for the eye to follow. Bail Organa stood in the doorway, looking mildly surprised.

"Oh, there you are Padme, and Master Skywalker, always a pleasure to see you," he said respectfully, giving a little bow as he spoke. "There's a girl here who insists upon seeing you Padme, and she won't leave until she does. She says she has a few messages to deliver."

Padme frowned. "Did she say who from?"

Bail shrugged. "No she didn't, and whenever we ask who gave her the message she starts acting strange, saying she doesn't know who he really is. Said something along the lines of he couldn't tell her or she'd be in danger...it's all rather strange. I was going to insist we wait until a Jedi is around, just to be safe, but I see Master Skywalker is here all ready, so we don't need to worry about that anymore."

"I'm coming," Padme said with a frown. Anakin shifted uncomfortably.

"Are you sure? It could be a trap..." Anakin said doubtfully.

"I'm sure I'm perfectly safe," Padme said, though she didn't sound so sure of herself. "Even if it is, I'll have my Jedi Protector with me, so I won't need to worry."

Anakin sighed. "I'm getting too old for your antics."

Padme laughed at that. "If I'm not too old for them, then you're not too old for them either."

"Fair enough."

Bail led them to the front of the Senate Building where a young blue skinned twi'lek woman stood waiting anxiously, eyes scanning the pillars of the Senate Building long before Anakin and Padme were within eyesight. When they did come into view, she visibly perked up, barely restraining herself from rushing forward.

"Master Skywalker! Miss Skywalker!" she called out, waving a hand to grab their attention. Anakin appraised her in amusement.

"I don't sense any danger. I think she does just have a message to deliver. But who do you think..." he trailed off as Padme suddenly slapped his chest.

"Anakin, I recognize her!" Padme said breathlessly, rushing forward ahead of Bail and Anakin. Anakin started after her, puzzled for several long moments as he appraised the young twi'lek again. Suddenly it dawned on him; she was the twi'lek in the picture they'd just been looking at of Luke! Anakin's speed doubled with that revelation, and he eagerly rushed forward.

Padme was there first. "You met him, didn't you? You have a message from our son?" she asked excitedly. The twi'lek frowned, her eyes glazing over just slightly as her brow furrowed in confusion.

"I...I don't know his name...I don't know who he is. He told me to call him Lirik, that he couldn't tell me his real name because it would put me in danger," she muttered, a hand to her head. Anakin gently touched Padme's shoulder.

"Jedi Mind Trick," he told her gently. He placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "What's the message you were told to give us?"

The girl's gaze cleared, and she reached into her pack. "I have a disk for Anakin Skywalker's eyes only, a disk for Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker, and another one for a Mara Jade. I was told I could give Mara Jade's to one of you two and you'd be able to get it to her," she told them, pulling each disk out respectively. Anakin took all three of them from her, but it seemed she wasn't done. "I was also told to tell you that he's safe, he misses and loves you, and to stop having him followed or you're going to give him away."

Anakin nodded. "Thank you so much for getting this to us."

She nodded. "Anything for Lirik. He was very kind, and not at all what everyone thought he was. He gave me enough credits for my family to move here and start a new life, as well as my friend Azalea. I'm in his debt."

Padme's expression softened. "I hope you find everything you're looking for. Thank you."

The girl nodded. "It was my pleasure." With that, she turned and left in a hurry, disappearing in a matter of minutes.

Anakin shuffled through the disks, looking at each one curiously. "I wonder..." he murmured to himself. He glanced back up at Padme. "Come on, let's go home; I have the feeling these are very _for your eyes only_ in content."

As Padme followed him, she looked thoughtfully in the direction the girl had disappeared. "I thought Jedi Mind Tricks were only temporary?" she asked as she got into the speeder. Anakin allowed himself a glance in the direction Padme was staring before he answered.

"Luke's grown very powerful in the Force...very powerful..."

He left it at that.

As they made their way to the apartment, Padme fiddled with the disks. "How are we going to get this to Mara? Do you know where they are right now?"

"If their luck continues, they'll be on Nar Shaddaa soon, but you don't need to worry about that, I can get it too her."

"Has Leia contacted you recently?" Padme asked. Anakin shook his head.

"Not since they checked Tatooine, no," he admitted. "You?"

"The same," Padme said with a sigh. "I wish Luke hadn't left in the middle of the night without saying goodbye."

"If he had done anything else we would have stopped him."

"And that would be a bad thing?" Padme snapped. "Anakin, he's going to get himself killed!"

"Padme," Anakin said firmly, pulling out of the flow of traffic and turning in the seat to look her firmly in the eyes. "Luke is almost less than a year away from turning thirty; he's not a little boy anymore. He's a fully grown man perfectly capable of handling himself. He's already been out there undercover for about a month, and he hasn't been caught."

"I know that Anakin, but—" Padme started to say, but Anakin shook his head and cut her off.

"He handled himself just fine through a rebellion without us, and the five years in exile he made it through without us taking care of another being. I know what's happened in the past, but Luke's much stronger now than he was then. He knows what he's doing, and we have to trust him with that."

"What if he falls back to the dark side? Anakin, this is a revenge mission and you know it," Padme replied passionately. Anakin gently cupped her cheeks in his hands.

"I trust him, Padme. He knows the risks of falling again, and he isn't willing to pay that price. He may be tempted, but I believe that he won't fall. He'd die before he fell."

"I'm afraid of that too," Padme whispered.

"Padme, we've had this conversation a thousand times. This is something he has to do alone, and we have to let him go and trust him to come back to us safely."

Padme kept her eyes trained down on her lap. "He's just as reckless as you used to be."

"He used to be, before everything happened," Anakin corrected her.

"He still can be...the same goes for you," she muttered, but there was a slight curl of a smile to her lips, and Anakin knew that once again he'd won this argument for Luke. He turned his attention back to driving them home, smiling to himself.

"I can't help it, it's in my nature no matter how old I get," Anakin chuckled as he angled them back towards the apartment.

* * *

_**(Nar Shaddaa, One Day Ago)**_

"Please! Don't hurt me! I-I-I don't know what you want, I'm nobody, nothing! I have nothing to give you!"

Deimos Fenn cowered in the corner of the dark alley behind the cantina he regularly visited, pressed back against the wall as far away from the Trandoshan, Rodian, and Aqualish that had jumped him when he'd come out of the secret room. His supposedly elite bodyguards lay dead on the ground, taken out silently without him even noticing. Now he was staring down the barrel of a blaster, hand inching towards his own weapon out of sight as he played the part of the pitiful victim.

"That's not what we hear," the Trandoshan hissed out in amusement, reptilian tongue flickering in and out of its mouth. "We heard that you're some big shot negotiator for that Judro fellow leading the insurgence. Word is we could get a pretty credit or two for you."

"I wonder who would pay more; the Republic or the Insurgence," the Aqualish chortled.

"Don't even think about running," the beady eyed Rodian said suddenly, kicking Deimos' hand before he could snatch his blaster up. "If you run we'll have to shoot you and loot whatever's on you right now. That wouldn't be good for any of us; you're worth more alive, and I'm sure you would like to live."

Deimos snarled at the Rodian as the Aqualish took the blaster from Deimos. "You're not going to get away with this. You'll pay dearly for what you've done here."

"You think so?" the Trandoshan jeered. While he had the element of surprise, Deimos suddenly launched himself at the Rodian, knocking the blaster out of his hand and tackling the Rodian to the floor. While they were still stunned he launched himself at the Aqualish next, aiming to do the same. By then the Trandoshan had regained his senses and started firing, raining a deadly hail down upon them. Before Deimos could be hit, however, there was a new element added to the fray.

A blaster bolt suddenly buzzed by from above, nailing the Trandoshan right in the chest. The giant reptile of a man went down with a strangled growl, and before his body even hit the ground another blaster bold whizzed through the air and shot the Rodian in the hand before the Rodian could grab its blaster. The Aqualish, desperate not to get shot, grabbed Deimos around the neck while the man was confused and used him as a human shield, pressing a blaster into his head.

"Don't shoot, or he dies!" the Aqualish shouted out, his gaze darting blindly from side to side as he tried to figure out what was going on.

A figure jumped to the ground from above, lithe as a nexu stalking its pray as it straightened up. A Black Sun Ace fighter helmet covered the figure's face completely, though Deimos had the suspicion that this being was a mercenary who'd stumbled across the helmet, not an actual member of the Black Sun crime syndicate.

The figure leveled its Model 57 blaster pistol on the Aqualish fearlessly. "If you leave now, you may end up lucky enough to leave with your life," the figure threatened in an obviously male voice.

"No way, this is our business, our little kidnapping; you just go about your way and mind your own business, you hear? Go, or I'll blow his brains out!" the Aqualish screamed in Deimos' ear. The helmeted man took a step forward. "I'm warning you!"

Another step...

Deimos heard the click as the Aqualish prepared to fire, but in the next second a flash of red buzzed past Deimos' face, close enough he felt the heat, and the Aqualish fell to the ground, dead.

Appearing unfazed, the helmeted man holstered his blaster in one swift motion, his gaze roaming over the dead men and quivering Rodian in the alley before he returned his gaze to Deimos.

"You need to get better bodyguards," the man grunted, kicking the blaster away from the Rodian as the Rodian tried once again to reach for the blaster. The Rodian yelped at being caught and backed as far away as possible, taking up the corner Deimos had occupied not too long ago. "Word of the wise; the cowering act only works in some cases," the man added.

Now that there wasn't a firefight over his life going on, Deimos had the chance to get a good look at the man. There was a A295 sniper rifle slung over his back, the blaster pistol in a worn holster at his hip, a pouch at his side bulged to suspiciously suggest thermal detonators, and the man was wearing all black from his worn and scuffed boots to his black shirt. His hands were calloused to show he was used to heavy work, and the entire feel of the man screamed _military_ at Deimos.

"Who are you?" Deimos asked suspiciously. The man appraised him for several moments before he spoke.

"Lirik Krin," the man said finally. He nudged the Rodian with his boot. "Get out of here, before I change my mind," he threatened, and the Rodian was gone in the next moment.

"That's a lovely alias, but I want your real name," Deimos demanded. The man's helmeted head swung around to face him again, and Deimos could practically feel the heat from the man's gaze.

"So he's smart enough to recognize a fake name; that's one point in your favor," the man said in amusement. "Fine then; Cal Berilen. And you are Deimos Fenn."

As the man—Cal—came to stand in front of Deimos, he removed the helmet to reveal nearly shoulder length, wavy black hair, a scruffy black beard, and startling blue eyes. He held himself like a true warrior, and being one of Judro's representatives, he'd run into quite a few of those.

"You people are a hard lot to track when you decide to go underground," Cal continued, tucking the helmet under his arm and shifting his weight to one foot. "I've been looking for you for quite some time; not you specifically, just any official of Judro's men...I'm looking to join your cause."

"A little late coming, aren't you?" Deimos asked suspiciously.

Cal grinned. "Let's just say I was a little delayed by circumstance."

Deimos narrowed his eyes at what that insinuated. Was this man some sort of bounty hunter or assassin? He certainly was good with a blaster, and Deimos shuddered to know how good with that sniper rifle he was. Deimos kept his negotiating mask firmly in place as he continued with his questions.

"And just how would you plan on helping our cause? What could you possibly offer?" Deimos asked.

Cal was unfazed, an equally stoic expression on his face. "To start, I believe a job just opened up," Cal stated, a small smirk curling across his face as he inclined his head suggestively towards the dead bodyguards. "But _only_ to start. I consider myself an honest man and you should be well aware that if I see an opportunity to move up, I will take it."

Deimos' gaze slid over to the dead bodyguards on the alley floor, and Cal added one last comment. "I can assure you if you don't take my offer now, you'll be dead by morning. Besides, you'd be hard pressed to find a better offer; I'm willing to work...for free."

Unfortunately, Cal had said the magic words. Cursing the fact Cal made a good point and the stupidity of his late guards, Deimos grasped Cal's outstretched hand. "Fine," he ground out, vowing to keep an eye on this stranger while Cal was under Deimos' employment. "Deal."

Cal grinned, his eyes sparkling secretively as he placed the helmet back on his head. "Then it's settled. So; where do you need me?"

* * *

_**(Present)**_

Anakin slipped the holodisk into its place in the holoplayer at the apartment, settling back onto the couch beside his wife. "Let's see what Luke has to say to us after he just up and left and we've had to tail him for a month," he said humorously. An image of their bearded son appeared, with Luke glancing around the room he was in before he spoke.

"I'm not sure how much time I've got, so I'll make this as brief as I can," Luke said seriously. "It's been a little less than a month now since I left. Despite what you may think, I have noticed the people you've had following me. I can still sense their attention on me even when they're not visibly watching me. I appreciate your concern and I know you just want to at least have the comfort of knowing where I am, but you can't have me followed anymore. I'm finally getting into Judro's ranks soon, and I can't afford it if your informants give me away. You might actually see me after this, possibly, depending on what I end up doing to blend in; please, I know you're worried, but you have to trust me with this and trust what I do, even if it may seem that I've lose my way at times."

Luke sighed. "I miss you...all of you; I'm still not coming back though. I've come this far, I can't turn back now. I'm still sorry for leaving without telling anyone; I know that had to hurt some of you but it was the only way I knew I was going to get away." Luke leaned back, pulling the other two disks into view. "About these...one of them is for Mara; please get it to her as soon as you can. The other...Father, it's a list of the names I've remembered of the Jedi I turned while I was Eius. I'm sure that will help in your search. I'm sorry but this is also the only time you're going to hear from me until I'm done. I'll come home safe, I promise, you'll see me soon. I love you."

With that, Luke leaned forward and clicked off the holo. Anakin was suddenly holding the disk for himself much tighter, and he had a sudden itch to look at its contents. Padme had a forlorn look on her face, staring sadly at the spot Luke had been in.

"Anakin..." Padme finally said slowly. "You don't think...you don't think he's posing as a bounty hunter or assassin or something...do you? He wouldn't put himself in a position like that, would he?"

As much as Anakin wanted to assure Padme, he had a feeling that was exactly what Luke was doing. He sighed, twirling the holodisk with the list in his fingers for a few moments. "If he wants to get close to Judro, he has to be a person of interest. Being some random pilot or foot soldier isn't going to do him much good...I'm afraid that might be exactly what he's doing."

"Anakin, you know what will happen if he chooses that! He'll be forced to kill people, he'll have more deaths hanging over his head, he'll destroy whatever proof he's put forth that he's changed, he—"

"Will do whatever he has to do to ensure the safety of the Republic," Anakin said firmly. "He doesn't care how people see him anymore, so long as he knows what he's doing is right. They can mock and scorn him all he wants, but if he knows that what he's done has helped the Republic in anyway, he'll do it. Not to mention this is the only way to keep us all safe in his mind, so he doesn't care what the cost is in his mind. I trust him to know where his line is though; he knows what price is too high of a price."

"Does he?" Padme asked seriously. Anakin clasped his wife's cheek in his hand tenderly.

"Padme; it's Luke. If I was worried about anyone in this kind of situation it would be Leia since she's the one who inherited most of my personality," Anakin said seriously.

Padme shook her head, allowing Anakin to pull her into a tight hug and rest his chin on top of her head. "I hope he really does know what he's doing; I can't see a way he walks out of this unscathed."

"He never said he'd come out without so much as a scratch; I never said that either. Both of us are well aware that this is going to cost him. Whether it will cost him physically or emotionally has yet to be seen."

* * *

_**(Nar Shaddaa, Present)**_

"I know what you're saying, Guillio. What _I'm_ saying is that it's not good enough."

Deimos leaned closer to the weapons dealer in a threatening way, flickering his eyes from side to side to glance around the musty warehouse. "And I am not someone that you want to cross; no matter how many guards you bring with you to our meetings."

Guillio snorted, folding his bulging arms over his chest while his six bodyguards flexed their muscles. He stared down his crooked nose with his one good eye at Deimos, who stood alone in front of him without even one bodyguard. "You do not scare me Deimos; you are _not_ Judro. Now, you either take my price for the tensor rifles, or you'll be taking Judro's fury for returning empty handed."

Deimos clucked his tongue, shaking his head. "Or I could take these for free as payment to forgive your lack of manners. At this rate, it's the best deal you're going to get."

"Get out of my sight," Guilio spat, turning his back on Deimos while the six bodyguards stepped closer to Deimos. Deimos remained calm, scratching the side of his nose.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way, Guilio, but I'll be taking those tensor rifles now...and you'll be relieved of your business."

Guilio spun around, snarling. "How dare you threaten me! I—"

Before he could get another word out a silent shot pierced right in between his eyes, and Guilio fell to the ground dead. The six bodyguards stood confused for a few moments before they rushed Deimos, as Deimos was the only person in sight. The ones who got within a meter radius fell dead from the same silent attack before they could even touch Deimos. The last two bodyguards caught on to the fact that getting too close to Deimos would mean they were dead, so they skidded to a halt, glancing around fearfully for their hidden enemy.

"Now," Deimos said with a grin, clapping his hands together like he was eyeing a great feast. "I will be taking these tensor rifles with me back to Judro, while...you take over Guilio's business," Deimos said, pointing at the smarter-looking of the two remaining bodyguards.

"Me?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes, _you_," Deimos said scathingly. "And if anyone objects, tell them that they should take the matter up with Judro...or my new bodyguard, Cal."

As he spoke, Cal appeared from the shadows, sniper rifle slung over his back and the ace pilot helmet secured in place to hide his face. Cal inclined his head to the two bodyguards, not even sparing the dead men a glance. Yes, Deimos was here to do business with the crime lords of Nar Shadda, but he had other, smaller business to attend to, and he figured such business was the perfect opportunity to test out Cal's abilities and how well he took orders. Now Deimos was certain that Cal had been a wise move in Deimos' favor.

Deimos nodded towards the four large crates of tensor rifles. "I want these onboard the _Dancing Maiden_ by sunrise. Cal here will supervise the loading, so don't try any funny revenge business," Deimos said, wagging a finger at the two like he was scolding a child. "Have a wonderful time," Deimos said with a grin, already turning to leave.

Cal lingered a little longer, his gaze roving over the dead men on the ground behind his mask before he turned his attention to the two living bodyguards that cowered when his attention was turned towards them.

"Give my condolences to their family, and tell them I'm sorry," Cal said in a deadpan, deep voice. "I'm serious. It's just business, that's the only reason why they've been killed. If Guilio had taken the deal, well...none of this would have happened."

With that, Cal turned away from the stunned bodyguards and followed after Deimos like a shadow, one hand resting on his blaster pistol the entire way.


	14. Chapter 14: Price of Secrecy

_***Sigh* I finally trudged through the writer's block and managed to finish this chapter.**_

_**And conquered distractions and procrastination too hahaha.**_

_**By the way, this has a horrid cliffhanger, thou hast been warned. Don't kill me yet, just wait for the next chapter. You know you love me :D**_

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_**Enjoy, mwahahaha!**_

* * *

Mara Jade could hardly believe it whenever Han told her that he had received a message carried by the bartender from Luke; a message that had been sent to Coruscant and then sent to Mara, Han, and Leia who had just arrived on Nar Shadda. She held the disk in her hands, hardly believing that this was real. Leia and Han were in the other room; they had been very understanding, knowing that the message was most likely going to be very private between Mara and Luke. Anything other than the private details they were confident Mara would share with them.

Hand shaking just slightly, Mara slipped the disk into the console in front of her and waited expectantly for Luke's familiar image to appear. She was shocked when he did appear, but worn and haggard, beard, mustache, and shoulder-length hair included.

Well...she'd expected him to have a disguise, but she hadn't expected this.

Luke's pre-recorded image smiled wryly, as if he'd known what her reaction to his new facial hair would be. Her eyes ached to see that his eyes still appeared sad, but at least he was smiling.

"Hello Mara," Luke said softly, his voice just as gentle as it had been the night he left. Oh how she wished for things to return to as they'd been before all of this heartache...

Luke continued. "I've missed you, so much, and I can't wait to get back home to you and the others. Unfortunately, that might not be for a while. I finally have a lead and possibly someone who can get me right where I want to be. If everything goes all right...I should be home sooner than I was expecting. Now, I know you've been tailing me, as well as Han and Leia. It's hard to miss the whispers of the three of you, and I can't ignore the fact that sometimes we've barely missed each other. By the time this reaches you, you should be on Nar Shadda; I'm not there anymore, I can promise you that. I _was_ there; it's where this message is recorded, but not now. I'll admit, I don't even know where I'm going this time; wherever this lead takes me, I guess. I appreciate the concern, but you should all know I'm not coming home yet, not when I'm so close. Also, the fact that you're chasing after me might start raising suspicions I can't afford right now, so you need to stop following me. I know you're concerned but I'm not coming back until this is over, and I already told you that this is something I need to do alone. Mara, I love you, but you can't follow me on this one." Luke sighed and looked away from the recording. "I wish I could say more, and believe me when I say I do wish I was with you now, but I'm running out of time. I know this is the only message I've sent you, but it's the only one I'm going to be able to send you. If this lead is what I think it is, I'll be right in Judro's inner circle soon, and I can't afford to make contact with any of you. I'll stay safe, I promise; you're going to have to trust me on this. I love you, and I'll be home as soon as I can, I promise."

With that, the message was over. Mara's heart sank; part of her wished she had more, but by the way Luke had lunged forward and shut off the device she figured he'd run out of time by then and had been pushing for time as he'd spoke, knowing someone was approaching. She was lucky to have the message she held in her hands now.

After replaying the message a few times, just to get a good look at him again and memorize what he looked like now, to hear his voice again...

After she'd imprinted Luke once again in her mind, Mara rose from her seat on the floor and approached Leia and Han in the cockpit of the Falcon. They'd landed on Nar Shadda, yes, and Han had ventured out to go around the cantinas and see what he could find, but they hadn't picked anywhere to stay and Leia and Mara had been helping Chewbacca with the repairs. Considering Luke's message, Mara wasn't sure they should even bother finding someplace to stay.

On the other hand, if they'd just missed Luke then his trail could still be hot and easy to pick out. They could finally catch up to him this time. Still, Mara hesitated at that thought with Luke's warning that with him going into Judro's inner circle, Mara and the others tailing him could put his life at risk. Maybe they could figure out where he was and keep following him, but keep at a distance so they wouldn't give him away.

She was being ridiculous, she knew it, but she wanted him back before he got himself killed; he'd hardly survived the last encounter with Judro, and now it wasn't just his life that was in danger, but his soul as well. As much as she loved and respected Luke, his safety was her first priority, and what he was doing right now...he was going to get himself killed, or worse, ensnared again.

When Mara entered the cockpit she was only mildly surprised to find that Chewbacca had joined Han and Leia in the cockpit, as well as R2. Considering they would be searching dangerous parts of the galaxy, Anakin had insisted that they take the trusty little droid with them. R2 whirred in question when Mara answered, and the other three immediately looked up, Chewbacca letting out a questioning howl.

"What did he say?" Leia asked immediately, the concern for her brother showing through. Mara took a deep breath.

"He's apparently made it into Judro's inner circle, or at least is close to someone who is. He also knows we've been following him and he wants us to stop because we could give him away if we keep following him and now with where he is it would cost him dearly," she informed them. "He also said we've come really close to him several times, and mentioned he's probably not on Nar Shadda anymore."

"Well we can't just turn back now!" Leia protested.

"If the kid thinks we're just going to turn back and leave him alone to Judro, then he's more unstable than when he left," Han said seriously.

Mara scowled. "He said that our movements, if noticed, will put his life in great danger, more than it already is. Not to mention our lives. He's just trying to protect us."

"And your verdict on this is..." Leia asked, trailing off.

Mara sighed. "He has a really good point. If we keep following him, we'll put him at risk of being revealed at the worst of times. At the same time...I worry about him. There's been...stirrings in the Force, and I worry Luke might be walking the line right now. If he stays there too long...I fear he may slip and fall again. Either way, there's going to be a risk; no matter what we decide."

Leia sighed and Chewbacca growled low in his throat. Han shook his head.

"No, I don't want to see him like that again either," Han muttered in response to Chewie's statement. He stood up from his seat. "Well, we're going to have to be a lot more careful. It might help if we start looking for Judro instead of Luke. If he's where he says he s, then we can find him without drawing attention to him by looking for Judro. Where Judro is, that's where Luke will be."

"We might be able to follow the same trail Luke picked up on here if we move fast enough," Leia agreed. Chewbacca roared in agreement, and Mara grimaced.

"I guess that means were going to risk continuing to follow him," Mara said. "We'll be able to move faster if all three of us are out about looking for Luke's trail. Whatever he picked up on, there has to be whispers of it somewhere, or at least of some new recruit by one of Judro's men."

Chewbacca growled.

"Yes Chewie, you'll stay behind with R2 and try and fix the Falcon up. Whatever we find won't be much use if we can't get off planet. If you need any parts, just comm one of us and we'll see if we can't find it," Han replied.

Mara sighed. "I do hope he's all right..."

* * *

"I've composed a list of Jedi I think might be some of Judro's agents, but without any definite proof it's just a list of people to watch."

Galen Marek was standing in Grandmaster Skywalker's personal Jedi Temple quarters, giving a report of what he'd managed to find on the traitors in the midst of the Jedi that Luke had mentioned. Unfortunately, he hadn't found enough to do anything about them. Despite the bad news, Anakin wasn't saying anything. He stood with his back to Galen, staring out the window with his hands clasped behind his back, not a word passing from his lips. Galen frowned but said nothing and waited. Still, Anakin didn't respond.

"Master Skywalker?" he asked carefully, watching Anakin closely. Still no reply. "Anakin?"

Anakin finally turned around, a strange look on his face. He held up a holodisc for Galen to see. "Do you know what this is?"

Galen's frown grew. "Ah...no Master Skywalker, I don't."

Anakin's eyes glinted slightly. "Luke got in contact with us." Galen's eyes widened in surprise, but Anakin didn't give him a chance to reply. "We're waiting for Obi-Wan, and then we'll talk about it."

"What's on it?" Galen asked.

"Luke remembered some names and faces." Anakin glanced at him. "You don't have to stay standing Galen, you can take a seat if you want."

"I'm fine Master Skywalker."

Anakin sighed. "How many times do I have to say it Galen? It's Anakin, no matter what my rank in the order may be."

Galen shook his head. "Sorry Anakin, it's just in a formal setting it's instinct."

"There's not going to be anything formal about this meeting; it will be strictly off-record and not a word spoken will leave this room."

Galen eyed the disk warily. "There's some big names on there, isn't there?"

Anakin nodded. "I've already looked at the list..."

The doors opened, and Obi-Wan walked through, looking slightly haphazard. "Sorry I'm late; Mace cornered me in the hallway." He glanced between Anakin and Galen's grim expressions, smoothing out his robes. "So what is this about?"

Anakin gestured for the two to take a seat, taking a seat of his own and placing the holodisc into the holoprojector on the table in front of him. As the data started to appear in front of the three, Anakin started to explain. "Luke reached out to Mara, Padme, and myself recently, and he sent along a message for the three of us as well as a list of the names and information on the traitors he spoke of. At least the ones he remembers turning. He also included a personal account of when he turned them for each person he remember, as well as complete files on them. He's given us all the information he could, but for some of them I fear it may not be enough. While he was in league with Sidious, he apparently did some serious damage, and we weren't even aware."

Obi-Wan was already sorting through the information, and his eyes widened at some of the names on the list. "There's some Council Members and Masters on this list," he said in shock. Anakin nodded.

"Though all the names on this list weren't Council Members when Luke was consumed by the darkside. It seems despite Luke's turn back to the side of the light, they further cemented in the dark side and have been climbing the ranks. Luke mentioned in one of the personal accounts that he suspects some of them are waiting for him to fall again for further instructions, but are simply infiltrating the Jedi Order until then."

Galen shook his head. "Some of these people are very influential. We're going to need more than Luke's word to bring them down. He might have been cleared of all charges with that pardon, but that doesn't mean that anyone is going to listen to him."

Anakin sighed. "I'm going to meet with Chancellor Kuroth and explain the situation to him. He trusts Luke's word, and he'll be able to start getting some politicians on our side ahead of time. I'm afraid when we do start cleaning this mess up, we won't be able to do it quietly. They're in position; we need to start getting in position ourselves so that we can get them all quickly and efficiently. The alarm will be raised, and we don't want any of them warned and getting away before we can catch them."

"If only we would have known about all of this sooner," Obi-Wan murmured.

"If only Luke hadn't been sent into exile," Galen responded.

"There's nothing we can do about that now," Anakin said sharply, his voice a little harder than he'd meant for it to be. "We've got to work with what we've got."

There was silence for a few moments before Obi-Wan spoke up again. "How is Luke, as you mentioned he sent you a message."

Anakin sighed. "He's alive. And he's grown a beard...and grown his hair out...and dyed it black."

"And his search for Judro?" Galen pressed.

"He said he managed to get to Judro's inner circle."

"That's good news though, isn't it?" Galen asked. "It means he's going to be coming home soon, and Judro won't be a problem for the Republic anymore."

Anakin and Obi-Wan shared a glance. "That may be true...but the Force has been rather uneasy lately. I worry Luke might be toeing the line between light and dark right now. I worry about him..." Anakin muttered.

"Luke is strong, Anakin. I'm sure that whatever is going on, Luke is keeping true to who he is," Obi-Wan reassured him.

"I hope you're right Obi-Wan. After what he had me promise him when he came back..." Anakin shook his head.

"What did he have you promise?" Galen asked. Anakin sighed, suddenly looking his fifty-two years and then some.

"He wanted me to swear that if he ever fell to the dark side again I would kill him before he could do too much damage," Anakin told them wearily.

"It won't come to that," Galen said fiercely, eyes snapping with determination.

"I hope not," Anakin murmured. "Then again, none of us thought that Luke would ever fall to the dark side in the first place, and he hasn't been himself since."

"He'll be fine Anakin; I'm sure the Force will not take him from you once again," Obi-Wan said soothingly. Anakin didn't respond to his comment. Instead, he turned back to the display in front of him full of the information on all of the traitors in their midst.

"Let's not talk of something we can't do anything about right now and focus instead on the problem at hand."

Galen was obviously reluctant to let the subject drop, but nevertheless he did as Anakin suggested and went to work helping the two Jedi Masters sort through all of the information.

* * *

_**(Three days later)**_

His hand brushed against something fuzzing and breathing, and Luke responded almost immediately, jolting awake and barely stifling the cry of surprise.

It was only after he was fully alert and looking wildly around his dark cabin room that he realized his hand brushed against his beard in his sleep.

With a groan, Luke laid back down on the bed, taking a moment to settle down again.

_I'm never going to get used to growing a small animal on my face_, he thought in amusement, pulling gently at the whiskers on his chin. He made a mental note to shave it all off as soon as he was done with all this undercover work, as well as cut a few inches off of his ever-growing hair.

He tried in vain to go back to sleep for several minutes before he finally gave up, reaching over and snagging the helmet off of the nightstand and pulling his undertunic on.

Luke ran his hand through his hair as he stepped out into the hall before he situated the helmet on his head, glancing from left to right down the deserted hall of the _Dancing Maiden_, a _Dreadnaught_-class Assault Frigate ship. The only people awake on this ship at the moment besides Luke was a handful of technicians on the bridge.

At least, those were the only people that were _supposed_ to be awake right now.

Keeping his presence pulled tightly towards him just in case there was a dark sider on the ship, Luke started to explore the ship. He kept his eyes peeled and stayed on the alert as much as he could without the Force. He wanted to know a little more about his employer before things moved forward, as Diemos was on his way to go see Judro. There was just one more stop before he went to give his report, and if Luke could gain enough favor with Diemos quickly enough he would be there with Diemos as his bodyguard. Judro would be right there...

Luke peeked into the rooms he passed, unashamed of his snooping. He was officially in enemy territory, and anything he could find would help. His hand twitched instinctively towards his blaster or the lightsaber he was keeping tucked in his boot at all times, but he managed to keep from drawing the weapon. He passed a few guards in the halls along the way, though most of them were half asleep and didn't pay him any mind. The rest of them went out of their way to get out of _his _way.

As he passed the seventh guard to scramble out of his way, Luke grimaced underneath his hood. He'd just been employed by Diemos, and already he'd made a name for himself on the man's ship. News traveled fast; hopefully it wouldn't get anywhere he didn't exactly want that news to reach. He wasn't proud of already killing six or seven people, two more if Diemos' former bodyguards counted. Luke had been the one to give the thugs the tip about Diemos'; he'd set them up, drugged the bodyguards so they would be easy prey for the thugs, and then intervened when the timing was right. He'd played everyone there so perfectly, and he'd added the helmet that night so that the thugs wouldn't recognize him when he stepped in.

Of course Luke felt bad about it. Just as bad as he felt for having to kill the trader and his goons the other night; but it couldn't be helped. He was doing this for a reason, he was doing whatever it took to get to Judro, and if he was going to be undercover he had to be fully dedicated to his alias or he'd be caught, especially trying to corner Judro who made it his business to know as much as he could about Luke Skywalker. Luke had to be Cal Berilen, and that was it. He couldn't afford to be Luke, not even when he thought he was alone, or it might cost him his life.

So long as he didn't channel Darth Eius he would be fine. At least that's what he told himself.

Luke heard a familiar voice just ahead, and he slowed his pace into a stalking, silent-stepping crouch, flattening himself against the wall as he reached the room the voices were coming through. Luke leaned as far forward as he could without appearing around the corner.

"I assure you, My Lord, my new bodyguard can handle it," Diemos was saying. Luke frowned; oh joy, the conversation was about him.

Someone sniffed disdainfully. "I do not know this Cal Berilen, and I wouldn't give this job to someone I know very little of."

Luke stiffened as he recognized the voice. Judro. Diemos was speaking to Judro of him. Luke wrestled with his anger and hate for a moment, barely managing to push it away at the last moment before he focused on the conversation in front of him again.

"My Lord, he is quite capable; from what I've seen he would be able to pull it off without any incidents. Aside from that...he's the best man I have right now."

"What of the bodyguards I gave you before you went to Nar Shadda?" Judro asked sharply.

"They're dead sir; killed by thugs. Berilen killed the thugs. He's been looking to join our cause for a while now—"

"I do not care about that Diemos," Judro growled, cutting the man off. "Do what you must, but make sure that you take care of this little inconvenience. I will not have my location revealed to my enemies. You better make _sure_ that they are thoroughly dealt with Diemos, or when you return you will be sorry you failed me."

There was the faint sound of the transmission cutting out, and Diemos immediately started to grumble. "What does he want me to do, wave my hand and make the problem disappear? I'm not a kriffing Jedi!"

Luke pulled off his helmet, smoothing out his expression as he casually leaned in the doorway, helmet under his arm.

"Who does he want me to take care of?" Luke asked in a confident, lazy tone of voice. Diemos jumped and spun around, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of Luke.

"How long have you been lurking there, Cal?" Diemos asked suspiciously. Luke shrugged carelessly.

"I heard mention of your new bodyguard being able to handle something; just what am I going to go clean up?"

Diemos' suspicion didn't lessen. "What are you doing roaming my ship's halls?"

Luke straightened up, scowling. "It's called insomnia; now either you can answer my question or I'm just going to turn down the job and leave you to find someone else to handle your _complication_."

"You'd be off this ship and out of this movement," Diemos threatened.

"You'd be without protection and it shouldn't be that hard to find another employer in need of my services in the Insurgence," Luke shot back fearlessly. Diemos growled, but didn't argue again. He pushed past Luke and started navigating through the halls.

"We're stopping at Tatooine before we make our way to the rendezvous point with the main fleet. Are you familiar with the planet Cal?"

"Very," Luke muttered, albeit a little darkly. What was it with his family and Tatooine?

"Well, while we're there, I'm going to need you to deal with a little Jedi problem it seems we've developed."

It took all of Luke's willpower not to falter in his step or let the pit of dread forming in his gut show on his face. "A Jedi problem?"

Diemos nodded. "It seems there's been a Jedi asking around about Judro, and they've picked up our trail. Judro wants us to take care of them before we rejoin the fleet."

"I caught that part," Luke replied, his mind racing. "Do you have a description of the Jedi?"

"All I can tell you is the Jedi is a she, traveling in a small group. We've put out a false lead to draw her out on Tatooine; go to the coordinates we give you, take out the Jedi, and the problem will be solved."

"That's much easier said than done," Luke warned him. "A Jedi is no small task."

"Are you telling me you can't do it?" Diemos asked, eyebrows raised.

"I said it wasn't easy; I didn't say I couldn't do it," Luke countered.

"Be sure you take care of the Jedi; if you fail, I'll be sure that when Judro takes me down you go down with me."

With that, Diemos opened one of the doors on his left and left Luke standing in the hall, wondering just what he was going to do about this sudden complication.

* * *

_Normally the sentiment is that it's good to be home...not right now. Right now I'd rather be anywhere but home._

Luke was stationed on a rooftop in Mos Eisley, checking over his sniper rifle for the thousandth time. He eyed the back alley the meeting was supposed to take place, making sure he was comfortable and the rifle was situated just as he wanted it. Diemos had been kind enough to inform him that someone had set up a camera so they could send proof to Judro that the deed had been carried out, so Luke's options for faking a Jedi assassination were slim to none. The thought made him queasy, and for the thousandth time he made sure his scope was precise and the safety and stun was off. The Jedi woman was going to show up eventually, unless she sensed something was wrong; the fake informant, however, would never show up. Knowing he couldn't think about what he was about to do—he couldn't even decide on what he was going to do yet—Luke tried to distract himself.

How better to distract himself then to think of Mara?

Luke sighed, eyeing the ends of the alley as he let memories of Mara wash over him; her secretive smile, her emerald eyes, her red-gold halo of hair, her passionate kiss...

A shadow at the end of the alley on his left stirred, and Luke snapped to attention, peering through the scope to catch sight of what had caused the movement. Sure enough, a lithe figure was creeping along the edge of the alley cautiously, eyes scanning the area around. He hardly had any time before the figure—if it was the Jedi tailing them—figured out this was a trap. He had to make his decision now and act now or everything would be gone just like that—

Luke froze and his heart leapt into his throat as the Jedi stepped into the light and Luke finally saw who he'd been commanded to kill lest his entire cover be blown.

Mara Jade was slinking stealthily and cautiously into the alley, looking around as if she was fully aware that she was in danger. Luke had ceased all movement—breathing included—with his finger still on the trigger. For some reason his aim kept moving, centered on Mara but undecided on where to target. He suddenly felt chocked up, and he noticed he was trembling so much the gun was starting to rattle.

Why? Of all the things in the Force, big, small, dark, and light, why did it have to be Mara? The one he'd been thinking of _protecting_ when he'd set out on this entire mission. Why here on top of that, why Tatooine? Why _Mara_?

He was losing his window. He had to do something, but he couldn't shoot _Mara_! He couldn't afford _not_ to shoot her either. What was he supposed to do?

Luke took several gulps of air, closing his eyes and calming himself down. Or at least he tried to. Despite the fact he'd been hiding his presence and making it a point not to even brush the Force, Luke reached out to the Force to know what he should do.

Down below, Mara suddenly froze in place as she sensed a familiar presence, just faintly, but still there.

Luke squeezed his eyes shut a little tighter and he trembled, a tear leaking out of his eyes before he opened them once again.

Hands steady, jaw firm, heart throbbing, lips moving in a silent prayer, Luke took aim...

...and fired.


	15. Chapter 15: Interests

_**This thing is finally done! I've been chipping away at it since I started the last Impossibly Real Chapter!**_

_**First of all: MY BOOK IS PUBLISHED, YES! IT'S AVAILABLE ON AMAZON! "Eternity's Guardian" by Shaundra Nash :D Check it out :D**_

_**Secondly, this chapter...wow...it took me so long, I'm sorry lol. Tell me if something seems disjointed or whatever, I've looked it over a few times trying to get it right.**_

_**Third, there's a tribute video to this series on youtube :D Jedi Jesi Jinn made a tribute video titled Luke Skywalker - Darth Eius The Reason, go check that out too haha. It inspired me and I'll probably be making a tribute video of my own now.**_

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_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

Judro steepled his fingers together as he peered at the flickering holorecording in front of him. He had received it earlier that day, but had just now found the time to lock himself away to relish this moment in private. A cruel smile twisted the corners of his mouth as Mara Jade appeared from the shadows of the alley in the flickering blue image, and he eagerly drank in the scene as she cautiously crept forward. Suddenly she froze, obviously sensing something.

But she sensed it too late.

The shot rang out, and Mara Jade fell to the ground, clutching her shoulder which now sported a nasty blaster wound. Almost immediately after she connected with the dirt of the Tatooine back alley a lithe figure dropped down from above, stepping right in the way of the view of the camera as he crouched down in front of her. He was still slinging the blaster rifle over his back as he unholstered the blaster at his hip. Before Jade could even react, she'd been shot, jumped on, and now...

There was a second bang.

She stopped moving.

Diemos' bodyguard pressed two fingers to her jugular, the other two gently tipping her head to the side as he inspected her to make sure she was dead. After a few long moments, he pulled back, and the camera finally had a view of Mara Jade. Judro laughed gleefully at the sight.

There was a burning blaster bolt hole in her chest, and her eyes were closed eternally.

Oh, when Luke Skywalker found out...

If he hadn't already slipped into the dark side, he would once he heard news of his beloved's demise.

Judro watched as Diemos' bodyguard dragged her body out of sight, hiding it behind a dumpster. He was out of sight for a little while before he finally appeared back in view, his face completely stoic. Judro frowned at the man before him. There was something familiar about this man...he didn't know what, but something made him...wary. He took note of the features; long wavy hair, a grizzled beard, unhealthily thin...but those eyes did look familiar...

Judro would have to meet this Cal Berilen...there were many things he wanted to discuss with the bounty hunter and assassin, including the man's future. First, however...Judro wanted to examine the assassin for himself.

* * *

"Did you know _who_ was tailing us?"

Diemos was standing in the bridge of the Dancing Maiden, his back to Cal. Considering the other man's growing temper, he probably shouldn't keep his back to him much longer. Diemos turned to face Cal, trying to figure out why the man was reacting like this. He hadn't said a word since the assassination, waiting until after the footage had been sent to Judro as proof the Jedi had been taken care of to voice what had been on his mind.

"Does it matter who the woman was? We were given a job to get rid of a tail, and we succeeded, so we get to keep our heads attached to our necks for another day. I don't care who she was, all I care is that you killed her and I get to live another day."

Cal slammed his hand down on the desk, and it took all of Diemos' self-control not to jump. "That was Mara Jade you had me kill; the same Mara Jade Luke Skywalker is in love with. Do you know what that means Diemos?" When Diemos didn't answer, Cal continued. "It means that not only is the rogue Jedi with hundreds of being's blood on his hands going to be after us, but his father, the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, and all the other powerful friends and family he has that knows how much that woman meant to him."

Diemos felt fear starting to grow inside of him. If he would have known about that...well...he might have contemplated giving the order a little longer. Diemos shook his head. "Well, there's nothing to do about it now. If you didn't kill her, than Judro would have killed us. Besides, there's nothing we can do about it now; she's already dead."

"What about her companions?" Cal asked. "They weren't in the alley."

"Well, I don't think we'll have to worry about them; they still need to find her body and return it to Coruscant. I have yet to hear word of Jade's death, so I do not believe they've found her yet."

Cal was still steaming, but he didn't say anything else on the subject. He took a few moments to calm down before he spoke again. "When will we be arriving at the rendezvous point?"

"Shortly," Diemos replied. "When we get there, I'll be reporting to Judro...I want you with me just in case he's unhappy for some reason."

Cal cocked an eyebrow. "What, you think I'm going to be a match for him?"

"You did just kill Mara Jade," Diemos pointed out.

Cal scowled. "That doesn't mean I'll be any help against Judro."

"Still, I'd feel a little more comfortable having you by my side for protection. Judro's known for killing his men simply because he was bored; I'd prefer not to become one of those statistics."

"I think you're worried about the wrong thing Diemos; you still have some explaining to do for the events on Nar Shadda. _That_ should be what you're worried about," Cal said sternly before he turned sharply on his heel and left the room. Diemos stared after him, frowning. Cal had been...different since Tatooine, like he knew something no one else did, and it wasn't good.

Nervously, Diemos started to wonder if he really should take Cal's words to heart and start to think over the events on Nar Shadda once again. With that unsettling thought in mind, Diemos turned back to what he'd been doing, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up like his senses were telling him he was suddenly in danger...

* * *

"Skywalker."

Anakin looked up as his name was called, only mildly surprised to see Master Shaak Ti approaching him. A frown curved the corners of his mouth downwards as she gestured for him to step inside one of the nearby empty rooms with her, but he did as she'd asked, waiting until the door slid shut behind him to speak.

"Master Ti; I assume this is important?"

Shaak Ti's expression turned grim. "Yes, it is Master Skywalker, and I believe you might just want to take a seat for what I'm about to show you." Wary, Anakin sat down on one of the round cushions in the room, keeping his gaze fixated on Shaak Ti. The Togruta master leaned forward, interlacing her fingers. "As you know, I'm in charge of the non-Force Sensitive operatives that work to infiltrate Judro's operations. Well...one of them brought something rather disturbing to me the other day; it's about your son."

"Shaak Ti," Anakin started to say, ready to defend Luke to the best of his abilities; the older Master, however, cut him off. What she said made Anakin equally grateful she'd stopped him before he revealed something he shouldn't have and also fearful of the news he was about to receive.

"I do not know where your son is, but I hope this news takes a long, _long_ time to reach him; at least enough time for us to deal with Judro," she said gravely. "My man intercepted a transmission sent to Judro from one of his diplomats, Diemos Fenn, and sent it to me immediately. Diemos seems to have gained a new bodyguard that also works as a personal assassin and bounty hunter. They were under the impression that we had sent someone to tail them and learn Judro's location."

"We haven't sent anyone after him; we already have people working their way into his ranks," Anakin said slowly. Shaak Ti nodded.

"Yes, well, Diemos sent his assassin after the Jedi tailing them. This is the feed we intercepted," Shaak Ti explained, pulling out a holoplayer. The image of a back alley on a desert world appeared, and Anakin frowned.

"I don't see what this has to do with Luke," Anakin murmured.

"Just wait," Shaak Ti told him quietly.

Anakin's eyes were drawn from the movement in the shadows, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Mara Jade emerge, creeping silently along the alleyway. He watched in silent horror as she was shot down and her attacker dropped down from above, finishing her off with a shot to the chest before dragging her away. As if watching the love of Luke's life get murdered wasn't enough, he felt jolts go through him when the assassin turned to face and shut off the camera.

An assassin that was clearly Luke.

"Give me that," Anakin said gruffly snatching it out of her hand and rewinding the video to where Mara had been shot. There had to be something, some sign that this was faked; Luke would never shoot Mara, never...

"We've checked it over several times Anakin; the feed isn't faked," Shaak Ti said grimly. "No one's tampered with it. What you see...it's real."

Anakin shook his head vehemently. "No, there's got to be something we're missing, this can't be real..."

Shaak Ti sighed. "The assassin's name is Cal Berilen; at least that's what he goes by. There's no records on him in any system; not even a record of birth. He's a ghost, and he obviously knows what he's doing...I came to tell you first because I know when you're son finds out...well...I thought you should get a heads up. You might want to find him now."

Anakin was silent for several long moments, simply watching the video over and over and studying it from every angle, noting every small detail down to the way Luke touched Mara. Shaak Ti realized she wasn't going to get anything else from him and wordlessly took her leave.

He touched her so tenderly, so lovingly...nothing like someone who'd gone dark and coldly killed those he'd loved. Yet at the same time, that burning hole in her chest was still there. The loving way Luke tilted her head up discreetly with his fingers seemed to mock Anakin. He had to be missing something; Luke wouldn't go so far as to kill Mara to get revenge on Judro for what happened to Jeza...would he?

_Don't be ridiculous Anakin, you know Luke; he wouldn't_.

Then why had this happened? What wasn't he seeing? He had to have missed something, anything...

He didn't know it, but Anakin would spend hours watching the same video without any results, all the way until the sun rose the next day.

* * *

Ruusan.

The heart of the Insurgence and the small collection of citizens on the planet didn't even know it.

Well...if you looked in the right place they _did_.

In one of the slum corner cantinas of a village at the base of the towering mountain the locals called Uadamons, Cal Berilen sat at the darkest dusty corner table, feet kicked up onto the table, reclined comfortably in the booth, a woman on his arm and a drink in his hand. He paid the drink more attention than the woman, as if the woman was more of a show piece than anything else. Oberon Cyn did his best not to blanch as he walked up to the intimidating man, doing his best to appear as if he had authority over the man.

Oberon was sure Cal could kill him before Oberon even opened his mouth, and Cal would do it simply because he was bored.

Oberon came to a stop in front of Cal's table, clasping his hands behind his back. Cal didn't even glance up at him or acknowledge his presence in any way.

"Judro wants you present during the meeting with Diemos," Cal told him, his deep voice seeming to rumble right over Cal. Cal didn't even react, and Oberon risked pushing the assassin. "Berilen, did you hear me? Lord Judro wants you up there; now."

"I heard," Cal said in a sharp, cold tone of voice that caused Oberon's mouth to snap shut with a soft _click_. However, Cal didn't say anything else, and Oberon had to risk speaking again. Cal cut him off before he could even utter the first syllable. "I'll get there when I get there."

_Right_, Oberon thought. "Judro doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Cal finally looked at him, and for a few seconds Oberon was convinced Cal was going to kill him on the spot because Oberon was annoying him. "I'll get there...when I get there," Cal hissed. The woman in his arm shifted nervously.

Had he just been dismissed? It seemed so.

Before he ended up another tally on Cal's victim list, Oberon left to tell Judro Berilen was coming.

There was no way Oberon was going to tell Judro what Cal had told him; he liked breathing too much.

* * *

Diemos sat in the armchair across from Judro, trying with all the willpower he possessed not to squirm under the watchful and impatient eye of Judro. Judro was steadily growing angrier, tired of being kept waiting by Cal. Diemos couldn't help but wonder if Cal was taking his sweet time in the hopes that Judro would murder Diemos; at this rate, Cal was going to get his wish.

"I grow tired of waiting," Judro finally growled, and Diemos tensed; he'd seen a man killed seconds after Judro had said that once.

Thankfully, at that moment, Cal walked through the door. Diemos visibly wilted in relief, springing to his feet. "Cal Berilen! We were beginning to think you weren't going to show," Diemos stated, his nervousness coloring his tone. Cal scowled, approaching the two men as he took in the bodyguards stationed around the room. "Where were you?" Diemos asked.

Cal spared him a brief glance. "Busy," he said, his tone cold. Cal had been distant and harsh ever since Tatooine, and Diemos was starting to get tired of it. Cal stopped a few paces away from Judro, folding his arms over his chest. "You wanted to see me?" Cal asked. Something in his tone was...different. Acidic, perhaps? Deadly?

Slowly, Judro rose to his feet. Like a nexu stalking its prey, Judro approached Cal, who stiffened as Judro drew closer. Slowly, Judro circled the hired gun, studying him intently. Not a word was spoken, and Diemos had the distinct feeling that he was missing something vital that was happening right before his eyes. The air seemed to thicken with the tension, like any moment the room around them would spontaneously erupt in flames.

Judro came to a stop right in front of Cal, staring him in the eyes attentively. Cal didn't flinch and stared right back, his clear blue eyes betraying nothing but a determination that scared even Diemos. For several heartbeats, there was no sound; Diemos didn't even breathe. Then, Judro smiled; it was a smile large enough to be seen from under the man's face mask.

Diemos felt chills go down his back as Judro began to laugh; it started deep in his chest before tumbling past the lips that were stretching into a wide grin that lit a feral light in his eyes.

"So...you're the one who killed Mara Jade..." Judro stated, still studying Cal intently. Cal—surprisingly—didn't flinch. Since Judro hadn't been asking a question, he didn't answer either. The smile disappeared from Judro's face, and he leaned in closer to speak into Cal's ear; the assassin was so rigid he looked like he'd shatter into a million pieces at any moment. "What if I told you I had plans for her? I wasn't ready for her to die quite yet; I wanted to make it slow and painful...for _personal_ reasons," he hissed into Cal's ear. Cal's jaw tightened and several of the lean man's muscles flexed under his clothes.

"Then perhaps you should have been a little more specific about what you wanted when I took care of her," Cal replied frigidly, his voice perfectly even. Judro pulled away, never breaking eye contact with Cal; the smile was back.

"Diemos told me you were worried about retaliation over your hit on Jade; would you be willing to accept my protection at a small price?" Judro asked, running his hand along the back of his chair. Diemos felt as if he'd suddenly disappeared from the room.

"I'm not under the illusion that you _can_ protect from them," Cal responded instantly. Judro turned smug.

"Don't doubt me," Judro boasted. "I have more contacts, more resources than you would think. I have the capabilities to take out the best of the Jedi Order if I feel like the entertainment."

"A wise man wouldn't be foolish enough to boast about that; he'd keep it well under wraps if it were true," Cal told him rather harshly. Judro laughed.

"For someone who wants so desperately to join my ranks, you show quite a bit of hostility; no _respect_," Judro snapped, his mood changing faster than a flash flood. Diemos was starting to get restless; he felt like he was going to get shot by one of the two simply for some entertainment.

"I've been a little riled recently, and did just have a few drinks," Cal responded smoothly, unfazed.

Judro's expression morphed into a harsh sneer. "Then I'll give you a hint; you're supposed to _bow_ when you see me."

A muscle in Cal's jaw jumped, and he stared intently at Judro with a flicker of hatred Diemos had the feeling went much deeper than his expression was letting on. Slowly, his gaze never wavering away from Judro, Cal lowered himself down onto one knee. He propped his arm up on the knee that was not touching the floor, bringing himself into a deep bow. Finally, Cal tore his eyes away from Judro and cast them to the ground, frozen in his kneeling form at Judro's feet.

"That's better," Judro purred. However, he didn't give the sign for Cal to rise; he let the assassin remain kneeling on the floor, like he was relishing the sight. Instead, he started to question the man. "I know Cal Berilen is not your true name; mind telling me why you gave us a name that doesn't exist?"

"It's easier to disappear if you don't exist; I'm not the only one in my trade that doesn't go by his real name," Cal responded evenly, still unmoving and his eyes still fixed on the floor.

"Would you mind revealing your real name?"

"No," Cal said forcefully.

"No?" Judro challenged, his tone dangerous. Cal didn't flinch.

"I have not and I will not tell anyone my real name; I won't give anyone that power over me," Cal growled in response. Judro raised a hand in the air and Diemos went so still he could have passed as part of the chair he was sitting in.

"You'd be wise to change your tone," Judro snapped, and lightning burst forth from his fingertips. Cal's hands clenched into fists as the assassin curled into himself in sudden agony, jaw clenched in a determined attempt to keep from crying out. Judro, surprisingly, didn't continue Cal's torture long; he ended it rather abruptly. "I already have power over you," Judro snarled, eyes flashing dangerously as he watched Cal slowly control his still-trembling frame.

Cal wisely said nothing in response. Judro reclined into his seat, looking like he'd had enough of his underlings for a day—ever since Luke Skywalker had come back into the galaxy he'd become easily bored, restless, and irate. "Get out of my sight," he growled, waving a hand to dismiss the two of them.

Cal bowed his head lower before he rose to his feet again, his expression blank; Diemos couldn't even gauge an emotion from his eyes. It was extremely disconcerting, considering everything that had just happened. Still, they had been dismissed, and it was best not to push their luck of leaving alive. Diemos stood stiffly up from his seat, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as he turned his back on the two men to lead the way out of the room. Cal followed silently behind, and the only reason Diemos knew Cal was there was because he glanced behind him to make sure the other man was following.

They traveled in silence, nothing spoken between them as they made their ways towards the housing part of the Insurgence base. In the back of his mind, Diemos made a mental note to see if T7 found anything on Cal while he was in the meeting with Judro. Judro had suggested Diemos try to dig something up on the man who was a ghost to the system, Cal had suggested he think about Nar Shadda again, and now Diemos' consciousness just wouldn't rest unless he looked further into the assassin. Something hadn't set right about the man since day one, and Diemos intended to find out what.

* * *

Later that night, Diemos sat in the darkness of his quarters staring at the gray wall across from his seat in one of the armchairs. The only sound was his breathing and the gentle whir of T7's mechanisms, as well as the gentle drum of his fingers against the armchair's left arm. Not a word was spoken, and Diemos preferred it that way at the moment.

"Scanners indicate a lifeform approaching," the protocol droid announced suddenly. Diemos nodded. Good; he was finally here.

His other hand clenched on the blaster in his pocket, ready for the worst to come out of the upcoming conversation.

A few seconds later, Cal stepped through the door, still not out of the clothes he'd been in when he went to see Judro earlier that day despite the fact that it was the middle of the night. Effortlessly, Cal took a seat across from Diemos, the definition of relaxed as he reclined in the other armchair.

"You wanted to see me?" Cal asked, eyebrows raised expectantly.

Diemos nodded, not saying anything for a moment as he thought about how he wanted to carefully word what he was about to say. "Yes...Cal. I took your advice, and I thought over the events on Nar Shadda."

Cal's eyebrows rose a little further and he rose a hand to rest it against his temple, leaning his head to the side. "Did you now? I'm guessing you thought of something important considering you called me over here."

Diemos studied him intently for a few moments, the tapping of his fingers against the arm of the chair suddenly ceasing. "I realized that what happened that night behind the cantina was a little...too coincidental," Diemos said, his voice icing over. Cal's expression didn't change, and he didn't tense, so Diemos continued. "The thugs said that they'd been tipped off, and my bodyguards were good at what they did; no amateur would have taken them out regardless of number or some element of surprise."

"So what do you think happened?" Cal asked, his tone perfectly level.

Diemos leaned forward, his gaze never wavering from Cal. "I think you had something to do with it. I think you told them about my bodyguards, you took out my bodyguards, and then you crossed the thugs so you could take the opening on my guard that _you_ created."

"Interesting theory," Cal mused, smiling in a way Diemos knew was meant to make him feel uncomfortable. "But you're wrong about a few things. I didn't take out your bodyguards...I just drugged them. I tipped off the thugs, yes, and I was waiting for the right time to make my convenient rescue. Sometimes if you want an opportunity, you have to make it yourself."

Diemos felt fury twist his features, but he forced himself to remain sitting in his seat. "You're not even going to try to hide it?"

Cal shrugged. "I told you I was an honest man, and I didn't lie; you just never asked." Cal smiled, eyes glinting mischievously. "Besides, it's not like you're going to fire me; I'm your only protection right now, and I'm good at what I do."

Diemos growled low in his throat. "You didn't let me finish; I know who you really are."

The smile faded from Cal's face, and he cocked an eyebrow challengingly at Diemos. "Oh, I doubt that."

Something in his tone of voice screamed at Diemos to stand down and not say anything, but Diemos knew he had the upper hand; he had a blaster pointed at Cal's head, and T7 was ready to act if he had to. Besides, Cal needed Diemos.

"It's not that hard to get a DNA sample if you know where to look..._Skywalker_."

Cal didn't react; he stared intently at Diemos, studying the man from head to toe. "I think you need to check your readings again, Fenn; something's malfunctioned," Cal said icily.

Diemos stood, brushing himself off as he ignored Cal's response; he knew he was right because he'd tested several different hairs Cal left behind in his cabin onboard the _Dancing Maiden_ in different places, and still came up with the same result. "Oh, I'm pretty sure it's right."

Cal still didn't stand up; he just continued to stare calculatingly at Diemos, studying the man's every move. "And just what are you planning on doing with that information, if you're so sure that it's true?" Cal asked evenly, his sharp blue eyes allowing Diemos to hide nothing; it was rather frightening.

"Isn't it obvious?" Diemos asked, his grip on the blaster in his pocket tightening. "Judro will pay a pretty credit for you and give me the highest of honors. He will definitely be interested to know that Luke Skywalker killed the woman he loved in his attempt to get revenge."

Everything happened so fast, Diemos didn't even really understand _what_ had just happened. One moment Skywalker was just sitting there, watching him intently, and then the next moment he was right in front of Diemos and T7 was lying on the ground. Somewhere in the process of things, Diemos had fired, and his bolt scored the flesh on Skywalker's left side.

At the same time, Diemos was aware of a peculiar feeling he had between his ribs...

Slowly, Diemos looked down. He was shocked to see Skywalker had plunged a vibroblade into Diemos' chest the same instant Diemos had fired at him.

Then the pain of having a blade shoved into his heart caught up with him, and Diemos' legs collapsed out from under him. Skywalker supported him, holding him up by the arm while also keeping his blade firmly imbedded in Diemos' chest as he led him back to the chair.

"Easy, easy," Skywalker murmured as Diemos started to resist him. "Don't struggle and it won't hurt as much; you've only got moments left. Trust me, I know how this goes."

"Any redemption you hoped to gain...you've lost," Diemos gasped out. To his surprise, Skywalker didn't even flinch...either that, or his vision was starting to fail him already. Skywalker pulled away, Diemos' blood all over his hand.

"I've come too far to let anyone keep me from stopping Judro; I'm doing what I have to," Skywalker said firmly, approaching T7 before the droid could recover.

"Is that what you told yourself the first time? What you told yourself when you killed Jade?" Diemos rasped. His vision flickered out, and Diemos felt himself begin to drift away.

"I can't let you reveal my identity to Judro, not with so many other lives at stake," Skywalker muttered, his voice reaching Diemos as if from the end of a long tunnel. The last thing he heard before oblivion came was Skywalker addressing his droid. "No, I'm not going to dismember or incinerate you; I'm just going to do a little memory wipe, that's it..."

* * *

Cal Berilen looked up the next morning when there was a knock on the door to his quarters, surprise flickering across his features as Oberon walked through the doorway moments later. Cal stood from his seat on his bed, not bothering to hide his surprised expression. "What's going on?" Cal asked, his tone holding notes of confusion.

Oberon folded his arms over his chest. "Judro wants to see you."

"So early?" Cal asked, surprised.

"Apparently," Oberon responded flatly.

"Will Diemos be there as well?" Cal asked a frown tilting the corners of his mouth down.

"No," Oberon said so sharply and suddenly Cal's expression was of surprise once again.

"Okay then...why does Judro want to see me?" Cal asked, starting to warily follow Oberon. Oberon scowled.

"I don't have the answers, so stop asking questions," Oberon snapped. Geez, what was with this guy? One day he was cold and intimidating, the next he was all twenty questions.

As if he knew what Oberon was thinking, Cal scowled. "Fine; I just wanted to know what was going on. I prefer to go into things prepared," Cal replied, his tone biting.

Oberon's mood soured even further, but he didn't reply. Instead, he waited until they were right outside of Judro's personal quarters to speak. "He'll be seeing you alone."

Cal glanced warily at Oberon, but didn't reply. Instead, he wordlessly stepped through into Judro's quarters.

_I doubt he'll come back out alive_, Oberon thought to himself.

* * *

Thousands of lightyears away, Obi-Wan was rushing through the halls of the Jedi Temple in search of Anakin. No one had seen him from quite some time, and Padme was worried sick about her husband. Still, considering what Obi-Wan had just learned, he needed to find his best friend as soon as possible; even if Anakin was hiding his presence through the Force, Obi-Wan would personally search every room in the Jedi Temple to find him.

That was just what he was doing, and it was five hours into said search before he was finally successful.

It wasn't a pretty picture he came across.

"Anakin—!" he said breathlessly, coming to a halt at the scene that he stumbled across. Anakin sat in the middle of the room, a datapad in front of him with some video on loop as well as holocrons and other datapads and discs surrounding him. He was obviously searching for something, but Obi-Wan didn't feel like he had the time to ask for what. He almost did, but he didn't.

"Obi-Wan, not right now," Anakin said, his voice strained. His eyes didn't waver from the holocron he had open in front of him.

"Yes right now," Obi-Wan replied, sounding a little more irate than he meant to. "Anakin, I—"

"Not now Obi-Wan," Anakin snapped. "I have to figure this out, I have to find what I'm missing; this can't have happened!"

Realizing Anakin was obsessed with what was in front of him, Obi-Wan decided to be a little more direct. "Leia commed me because you wouldn't answer."

Anakin's head snapped up; he knew just as well as Obi-Wan that Leia had been traveling with Mara. Immediately, he was on her feet. "What did she say?"

"She's waiting for me to comm her back so she can talk to you," Obi-Wan responded, already leading Anakin out the door. Obi-Wan could sense his anxiety, and it wasn't hard to figure out why.

Leia would know what had happened.

Leia would be able to either confirm or deny validity of the video.

Leia would have the answer Anakin was desperate to receive.


	16. Chapter 16: Judgement Day

_**Twists and turns and twists...I'm so excited :D**_

_**This only took me so long to write because the universe apparently decided to keep me busy. I almost went Darth Eius on the world for a moment, grrr...**_

_**Still! It's here! mwahahaha**_

_**Please go like my Facebook Page, I've got all sorts of stuff on there from fan-art to art by me for the fanfictions, to trailers to tribute videos and playlists and custom made pictures for pairings, etc etc. AngelDesaray of Fanfiction**_

_**Also, I can't remember if I've told you yet so I'm going to put it in this Author's Not as well, I'm now a published author and you can buy my book on Amazon: Eternity's Guardian by Shaundra Nash.**_

_**Oh, and this chapter is actually longer than it was originally going to be thanks to Jedi Jesi Jinn. I wasn't going to add the last part, buuutttt when i talked to her I ended up putting it in. So you can thank her for the last part :P**_

_**PLEASE review, I really want your reactions to this chapter, and you know I love the feedback you guys send me!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

Luke was careful to keep his emotions in check and his expression calm as he stepped into Judro's personal quarters. His eyes did a quick scan of the room around him, taking note of the fact that—strangely—there were no guards posted in the room. At the opposite wall, standing in front of a large window, face mask and all, was Judro, his hands clasped behind his back. Not for the first time, Luke had to fight the powerful hatred that bubbled up inside of him at the sight of the man. He couldn't afford those feelings right now—he had to let the feeling go and keep his mind _clear_.

With no outward signs of what was going on in his mind, Luke silently stepped forward until he was standing just behind Judro, staring out the window as well. "You called for me?" Luke asked calmly before tacking on a reluctant, "My Lord."

"Yes..." Judro said slowly. Luke kept his eyes riveted to the window, staring down at the small village at the base of the mountain Uadamons, which was where Judro and Luke currently were. Luke had to admit that he had been impressed when he'd first discovered the Insurgence base was hidden inside of the mountain. However, he hated the thought of how all those people at the base of the mountain were oblivious to the fact that such a deadly force was in the mountain just above them. Judro spoke again, bringing Luke out of his musings and back to reality.

"Demois was found dead in his room this morning," Judro told him calmly. "Do you have any idea how that could have happened? You _are..._or rather, _were_ his bodyguard."

_He knows. He knows I killed him._

Luke kept himself calm, unreactive. The way Judro spoke wasn't really a question; it was very much so a rhetorical question. Judro made a sound deep in his throat, turning from the window to face Luke.

"I do not care how he died—I don't care that you were the one to kill him; and don't deny it. Diemos got a shot off on his attacker and I know you have a blaster injury on your side because you've favored that side since you walked in here. I have far more important things on my mind than his death."

"If you don't care what happened to Diemos, then why am I here?" Luke asked calmly, keeping his gaze steady and level with Judro's. Judro snorted softly.

"You know why."

_He knows_. Luke had the feeling that Judro knew who he was the moment he'd come face to face with Judro yesterday. Judro had tested Luke's Force Presence, which Luke had been keeping careful control of for weeks and months. He'd been careful to keep his presence muddled and as different from his true presence as he could. When Judro had poked around, Luke had been careful to not noticeably shield himself from Judro and appear as open as any normal non-Force Sensitive, while hiding other things like his true identity and Force Sensitivity. However, something—most likely Luke's eyes, or the physical appearances Luke couldn't hide—had tipped Judro off. Judro still knew who Luke was, yet he did nothing about it. Luke didn't know _why_ Judro wasn't doing anything about it if Judro knew Cal Berilen was really Luke Skywalker, but just because he didn't know didn't mean that he couldn't stay alert.

Luke forced himself to, yet again, not react. "I don't think I do," Luke responded, keeping his attention focused on Judro. Judro walked over to one of the chairs in the room, dropping down into one of the chairs casually and gesturing for Luke to take the chair across from him.

"Come now; there's no one around to hear what we say or see what we do. It's just the two of us alone here. There's no point in keeping up the charade, Eius. Oh, I'm sorry...I mean Luke, or whatever you're going by right now. I'm pretty sure you're having an identity crisis you've had so many names recently. Cal? Really? What kind of a pick was that? And I'm not so sure that this facial hair thing suits you."

Once he got over the shock of how casually Judro had let him know for certain that Judro knew Luke was Luke, he finally managed to form a coherent thought as he lowered himself into the chair across from Judro.

_He's a psychopath_, Luke thought. One moment he hated Luke's guts and avidly tried to kill him, the next he tried to recruit him, and now he was talking to him as casually as 3PO would inform someone about the odds of whatever they were doing.

Instead of voicing his thoughts, however, he decided to ask something else. "How long have you known?" Luke asked, his voice layered with tension.

"Since you walked through that door yesterday," Judro said, nodding towards the door as he observed Luke closely. Luke watched Judro just as closely, and the tension was so thick Mustafar's volcanos wouldn't be able to soften it enough for a lightsaber to cut through it. Judro leaned forward, hands clasped together. "So tell me; what's your end game? Did you walk in here as Eius? You've definitely had a start on a blood trail worthy of the name, though did Diemos really deserve the knife through the heart; I hate to waste the energy replacing him. And if you're really going to try and tell me you didn't walk in here as Eius, are you going to leave this room Eius, having come here for revenge? Either way you're not going to leave this room as anything less than Darth Eius. You came here for revenge, and we all know that revenge leads right to the dark side. Its youngling knowledge."

"I came to stop you Judro. There's nothing dark about that," Luke said coldly, holding Judro's gaze unwaveringly. "Try as you might, you will not drag me back down that path; I know what the dark side has to offer, and I want no part of it."

"Everything you've done in the past two months suggests otherwise," Judro said sharply, though he didn't move. "You're left quite the blood trail, even if none of it was under your name. You've killed quite a few in the name of getting to me; do you think that's enough of a reason? Do you really think those deaths are going to be excusable because it was all for the sake of remaining undercover?"

Luke kept calm, remaining reclined in the chair. "I know what I've done Judro. Any death I've caused I did it because it was my only option."

"Does that include Jade? Tut, tut, Eius, willing to kill the woman you swore to protect to get revenge on me for that little twi'lek. It's a shame I didn't have more time with her, or else I would have done much more than just kill her. Though I would have made her death a lot quicker if she hadn't shot me in the leg. Feisty one, she was; I would have enjoyed her."

Luke felt fiery rage pounding through his bloodstream, but he forced himself to keep sitting, even as the mirror behind Judro shattered in response to Luke's anger. _Breathe,_ his years of Jedi training told him, though his heart had a dark corner of it rearing up and telling him to wipe that growing smirk off of Judro's face. He had the power to do it, and with Judro all alone here...

_Breathe_, Luke snapped at himself, keeping his icy gaze on Judro the entire time. Judro's smirk could be seen even from behind the face mask. "You can pretend you're still the calm and collected Jedi you once were, but you can't hide your true emotions. I can _taste_ your fury it's so powerful."

Luke slowly rose from his chair, glaring at Judro. "It's not wise to goad me, Judro. We both know that I can easily take you. There's nothing to hold me back this time, and you don't have a thousand bodyguards to hide behind either."

"Then what's stopping you?" Judro replied slowly, standing as well and standing right in front of Luke. It took all of his self-control to step away from the man, resisting the urge to kill him right now. He needed a clear head, he needed to make sure there was no hate or revenge in his heart when he killed Judro; he needed that for himself—he needed to make sure he truly was above slipping into the dark side again.

Luke turned away from Judro. "I'm not going to fall into your trap, that's what. Don't get me wrong Judro, you're not leaving this room alive—but I'm not going to leave here a Sith either."

"You say that now," Judro scoffed. "You enjoy the kill too much. What was that story from Saleucami?"

Luke stiffened, the memory flashing to the front of his mind against his will.

_Red, blood red everywhere, all over the floor, the bodies, his clothes, his lips..._

"They said it was one of the most brutal murders they'd ever seen; how could someone possibly create a way to kill another sentient being so slowly and painfully. They say you were covered head to toe, that you actually drank—"

"Enough," Luke said harshly, spinning around and fixing Judro with a glare that even had Judro take a step back before Judro managed to catch himself. Judro smiled once he'd recovered from his initial shock.

"There it is," he said with a grin. "You try so hard to hide it, don't you? It's still there; and I'm going to bring it out of you."

"No..." Luke said slowly, gradually calming himself down again. "You won't."

Judro laughed. "Tell me _Eius_, how's the family? Did you know they know about your stunt with Jade? Your father even locked himself into one of the rooms of the Jedi Temple from what I hear. Too bad I didn't tell you to capture that sister of yours. If I would have known you were at the point you'd do _anything_ to get to me..." Judro laughed again. "I would be having my way with her right now. Sure she might put up a fight, but I'd be able to tame her pretty quick. She'd be begging me for more by the time I was done with her—"

That was when Luke finally had enough.

Too fast for an untrained eye to follow, Luke called his lightsaber out of his boot and into his hand through the Force, finger's closing longingly over the weapon he had refrained from using for two months. Luke's thumb instinctively switched on the blade, and the brilliant emerald glow of Luke's lightsaber suddenly lit up that half of the room. His blade came down in a deadly arch, the gentle hum as it sliced through air suddenly interrupted by the thrum of a ruby blade springing to life and blocking the deadly assault. Luke was quick to recover, breaking away from the red lightsaber and pulling just out of reach of the red lightsaber's twin as it made a swipe at his midsection. With a growl low in his throat, Luke sidestepped the follow up attack from the right, coming around with his own attack and driving his emerald blade towards Judro's left shoulder before suddenly switching to come around for a downward swipe to the right leg. One blade had fallen for the feint, but Judro's other blade was quick to compensate, batting the weapon away so that all he received was a painful burn up his leg. Judro hissed and Luke couldn't help but smile; he'd scored the first blood of the fight already.

Luke didn't wait to press his attack and take advantage of Judro's wound. He angled his blade for an upward swipe across Judro's midsection, sweeping his leg around at the same time to bring his heel down as hard as he could on the spot he'd just hit with the lightsaber. Judro blocked the lightsaber attack like Luke had expected him to, moving his leg out of the way just in time. Still, Luke made sure he wasn't going easy on Judro, feining an attack to his left ribs, right hip, and then coming up for a quick swipe across the chest. This time Judro found himself hard pressed to keep up with the speed of Luke's attacks, and so distracted was he by avoiding Luke's lightsaber Luke was able to catch him off guard with a powerful shove through the Force that sent Judro crashing into the wall on the other side of the room.

Weary that the noise might alert Judro's men to something going on, Luke reached out with the Force to the control panel for the doorway and crushed the inner mechanisms, preventing anyone from opening the door. At least for a little while. They might still think the noises were the sounds of Cal Berilen being tossed around like a rag doll by Judro. Luke wasn't counting on that assumption for long though—it was best to shut the door now lest it be too late later on in the fight.

Luke heard the sparking of electricity and his head snapped back around to Judro. Enraged, Judro was summoning an alarming amount of Sith Lightning, preparing to direct the powerful wave at Luke. However, Luke was unfazed, and didn't even flinch when Judro finally directed the lightning his way. Instead, Luke rose both hands—momentarily deactivating his lightsaber—and let emerald lightning of his own fly from his fingertips to collide with the Sith Lightning halfway across the room. There was a blinding flash of light before, a few seconds later, Luke's emerald lightning overwhelmed Judro's pale blue lightning, eating up all of the pale blue before winding up Judro's arms and coursing over his body. Judro convulsed violently, a scream ripping up the man's throat before Luke cut off his assault, reactivating his lightsaber. He took his time approaching Judro.

"What _was_ that?" Judro gasped, forcing himself to his feet and blindly grasping for his blades again. Luke's expression remained blank and unfazed by all that was happening around him as he replied.

"A technique I discovered on Alderaan. I've been developing it in my spare time; as you can see, it's much more effective than you're Sith Lightning," Luke responded evenly, approaching Judro and resuming the lightsaber fight. It was obvious in Judro's expression that he wasn't going to be trying Sith Lightning again anytime soon after that short experience. Out in the hall came the muffled sounds of shouting, signaling that Judro's screams of pain had alerted his men to the fact that something was seriously wrong inside.

Luke would have to speed things along then.

Luke made a swipe at Judro's neck, simultaneously pitching the chair he'd been sitting in earlier at the man in an attempt to throw Judro off. Judro blocked the attack with one lightsaber, cutting the chair in half with the other. Luke used the distraction to come in close and elbow Judro in the gut, causing the man to double over in pain. He made a swipe at Judro's left hand, and the smell of burnt flesh wafted towards Luke as Judro gave a strangled cry and dropped his lightsaber. Luke quickly kicked the blade out of the way, effortlessly battering Judro's desperate attack with his remaining lightsaber aside with a careless swing of his own blade, coming in to bash the pommel of his lightsaber into Judro's head. Judro went down, and Luke stomped hard on Judro's right hand to force him to let go of his remaining blade. Luke quickly reached down and pinned Judro to the floor by the throat with his left hand, pulling his lightsaber back in preparation for the final killing blow right through Judro's cold, black heart. Victory and vengeance both pumped through his veins, and his eyes blazed in barely suppressed wrath.

He hesitated, and time suddenly slowed.

His conscious, pushed to the back of his mind during the fight, tried to whisper reason to his clouded mind. _This is cold blooded killing_, it whispered. _This is revenge; this is the dark side. Are you about to give into the dark side again after all you've been through?_

No sooner had that thought crossed his mind did some dark tendril curl itself around Luke's heart, seductive and intoxicating as it called to mind images that caused Luke's blood to boil. Jeza's body, lying broken in his arms and devoid of life, never to smile or laugh, or call him Father ever again; Mara being taken by the darkness in his dreams no matter how hard he tried to hold onto her, reappearing in a puddle of blood with lifeless eyes...

Luke shuddered as the tendril tightened its grip on him with a sensual caress, breathing in the heady darkness as a haze settled over his mind, the tendril spreading into a darkness that stroked his soul and took hold of his very being.

_Do It, do it now! End this, all of this, all of what he's done and will do if he lives. Take his life for your daughter's; it's a fair trade, a life for a life. It's what's right..._

Luke was still hesitant, though the thoughts that entered his mind were alluring, and...it was a fair trade...

_Think of all the pain and suffering he's already caused, all that he will cause if he lives; he _must_ die, _the voice hissed to his mind, picking up in urgency and pressure; and Luke was starting to give in.

_Do it! Take it, take it now! You know you want to..._ the voice purred.

An old bloodlust Luke had done well to bury rose to the surface, and his grip on Judro's throat and on his lightsaber tightened noticeably. A burning need ripped through his soul to relish in Judro's life slowly draining from his body, a lust to watch the light die from Judro's eyes as Luke had watched his daughter release her last breath and felt her life fade away.

_Kill him! Make him suffer_, the voice screamed in Luke's mind.

The darkness rushed forward in a dizzying wave, consuming Luke whole as an animalistic sound of anger, bloodlust, and grief tore its way from Luke's chest out of his throat, his eyes closing. His lightsaber plunged downwards towards Judro's heart as time resumed.

_Faces and scenes played before his eyes like a flickering holofilm on fast forward. His mother kissing his knee after he'd fallen out of a tree, telling him that we all must always get back up whenever we fall. His father clasping him in a tight, bone crushing hug after a day when Luke had been particularly effected by the harsh words of the kids at school, with Anakin whispering in his ear that one day Luke would be a great Jedi, possibly greater than Anakin himself. Leia standing tall beside Luke as an older boy sneered at them, stating that Luke would always be a greater man than anyone who looked down on him, and that he would always be humble about it as well. His dear Jeza, smiling at him proudly after successfully cooking him a meal on his first birthday with just the two of them, throwing her arms around his neck and telling him he would always be her father, no matter what happened. His loving Mara, held tight in his arms as she whispered her undying love to Luke in his ear, telling him that he was the most beautiful person to her, flaws and all._

Silence reigned for several long, heart stopping moments before Luke opened his eyes.

His lightsaber was embedded up to its hilt in the floor, just above the flesh of Judro's neck and shoulder, which was badly burned from how close the blade had come. Hands trembling, Luke pushed Judro away from him as hard as he could, his lightsaber clattering to the floor and rolling well out of reach as he stumbled back, breathing heavily.

"I can't...I can't..." he gasped out, turning away from Judro in a mixture of shame and self-loathing. "Force, what am I _doing_?" he whispered, burying his face in his hands for a moment. He took ragged breaths, shaken to his core that he had almost become Darth Eius once again.

While Luke struggled to regain himself, calling upon every calming technique he knew and every good memory he possessed, Judro shakily rose to his face, his expression of fear morphing into a sneer.

"I knew you were too weak to kill me," Judro spat, picking up Luke's lightsaber with his good hand. Luke tensed as Judro threw himself at Luke, activating Luke's green blade once again to kill Luke with his own blade. Luke instinctively rolled to the side, staying low as he acted purely on survival instincts born from years of war and people trying to kill him. Before Judro could correct himself, Luke pulled the vibroblade—the same one he had used to kill Diemos—out of its hiding place at his side, and pushed the blade upwards between Judro's ribs and knocked his lightsaber out of Judro's hands with a sharp swipe with his elbow. Both of them froze in shock, staring at the blade's hilt pushed up against Judro's chest before their brains processed what had just happened.

"Well would you look at that..." Judro sputtered, a trickle of blood leaking past his lips as his knees gave out underneath him. Luke stepped back and let Judro drop to the floor, staring down at the man that had killed his daughter as the life slowly slipped away from Judro. Judro grasped the hilt as Luke leaned down to pick up his lightsaber, standing over Judro and watching him silently as the vibroblade clattered to the floor. The shouting on the other side was getting louder, and Luke had the impression that the door was at least cracked open. They'd found some way to open it.

Judro stared up at Luke, eyes blazing golden as Luke crouched down and pulled the face mask off to finally reveal Judro's features. An unexpected pang went through him at the sight of Judro's youth; Judro was at least in his twenties, still a young man, and with rather handsome features as well. Brown curls fell into his yellow eyes as he sputtered out his last words, though they were lacking the bite and venom they usually had.

"You don't realize...the mistake you've made. There's more to all of this...than you know. It's not over...it's just started." Judro paused to cough violently, blood spattering on Luke's face and causing him to pull back on instinct. "The pieces...are still...moving...and you...will...lose."

Luke didn't wait to see the light leave Judro's eyes and make sure he was dead; the men that had been trying to break into the room finally broke through, and Luke activated his lightsaber, ready for another fight. The way down out the window was too far for Luke to take that way out, so he'd have to fight his way back out.

If their numbers didn't overwhelm him, anyway.

Luke sensed Judro's presence in the Force flicker out the same moment that the guards broke through the door. Luke took a steadying breath, making sure not to even give them a moment to register Judro's body before he rushed forward with his attack. He cut down the first three easily before they regained their bearings, and the real fight began, his blade flashing left and right as he pushed his way into the hall. Shouts echoed all around him, hurting his ears, but Luke paid them no heed. He kept his mind focused on the whisperings of the light side of the Force, letting it guide him.

Still, the number of sentient beings he could sense descending on him concerned him, and that wasn't counting the battle droids Judro kept in the mountain base. Getting out of an enemy base was hard enough with a group and a well-planned way of escape. He was on his own and improvising.

One with the Force, Luke was truly a hurricane whipping through the base, a blur of emerald both from his lightsaber and from the lightning he occasionally shot from his fingertips. Blaster bolts flew left and right, thermal detonators were thrown, and anything that the Insurgence could use to stop Luke was thrown at him. For a while, it looked like Luke might just make it out as he was rocketing towards the hangar. All he would need was a ship, and he would be home free.

Home...

However, when he turned the corner, he knew he wasn't going home quite yet.

Several fighters had been powered up with their guns pointing towards Luke, as well as a strong line of soldiers prepped with blasters, rockets, and even thermal detonators. Some part of Luke's brain that was retaining humor thought how that seemed a little on the side of overkill. Meanwhile, the rest of Luke's brain made sure that he froze and slowly deactivated his lightsaber, allowing the soldiers to rush forward and throw him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him.

Luke closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief even as he was hefted to his feet; at least Judro was finally dead.

* * *

"Anakin! Anakin, get in here, right now!"

At the sound of Padme's shrill voice, Anakin hurried from the back room of the apartment to the living room. He was shocked to find Padme in tears, a hand over her mouth and her eyes wide with horror. "Padme!" Anakin exclaimed, taking her hands in his own. "Padme, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer him, instead keeping her eyes glued to something just over Anakin's shoulder. Anakin whipped around, expecting to see some sort of intruder.

What he saw was worse.

On the Coruscant News Network was a live video feed, provided from the Insurgence. Limply strung up by his arms was none other than Luke, badly beaten and eerily silent. His long hair hung in his face, though his head was bowed low so that the camera couldn't quite see his features. As he watched, the words that were being spoken by the news anchor floated towards him.

"...been confirmed that it is in fact Luke Skywalker that the Insurgence has captured. Also, it has been confirmed that Judro, the leader of the Insurgence, was killed by Skywalker as well. However, it seems the son of the Jedi Grandmaster was captured in his attempt to escape, and the Insurgence have announced that they will execute him for murdering their leader, live for all to see. We're monitoring the feed now, and so far Skywalker has made no attempt to flee. Is the galaxy about to witness the end of the Jedi Grandmaster's son?"

"Oh Force..." Anakin whispered, staring in horror as the Insurgence officer on the screen lifted Luke's head to show the roughly shaven face—most likely to clearly show who he was—with cuts and bruises forming. He was relieved to see that Luke's eyes blazed with determination; Luke had not given up, and he was not beaten.

Then why wasn't he doing anything?

Anakin didn't really hear the words the Insurgence officer was saying—something about Luke being a cold-blooded murderer who was finally getting what he deserved—and instead kept his eyes on Luke, who had not dropped his head to his chest again. Instead, he looked at something just beyond the camera intently, eyes never wavering.

"...will die by his own blade..."

Anakin's attention snapped to the officer at that statement, as did Luke's. Luke eyed the officer warily as the man approached, turning on the lightsaber and holding it rather clumsily, but still steadily enough to remove Luke's head. Involuntarily, Luke's hands clenched into fists and he tensed as the officer approached, lightsaber in hand. Luke's gaze seemed to involuntarily flicker towards the camera, though his eyes were clear and calm; confident and reassuring despite the tension in his muscles. Anakin, meanwhile, was powerless to do anything but watch, hold his wife comfortingly, and pray that he wasn't about to watch his son be executed...again.

The officer took up position, leveling the blade at Luke's neck and making sure that his aim was true. Luke stared intently into the camera, and as the blade was raised high to carry out the deed, Luke looked up at that same thing beyond the camera again...and smiled.

Chaos suddenly broke loose on the screen for the entire Galaxy to see.

There was an audible snap-hiss sound, and Luke suddenly became a blur of movement, grabbing his chains and sweeping his legs far out to the right to topple the guard that was holding his lightsaber. Luke threw himself back, barely missing the lightsaber blade as it fell to the ground. A scuffle could clearly be heard in the background out of view of the camera while Luke kicked his lightsaber out of reach of the Insurgence Officer, glancing repeatedly over to the source of the scuffle, like he was waiting for something.

Suddenly, a violet blade lashed out from behind the camera, severing the chain that held Luke's right arm. Free, Luke swung around to bash his elbow against the officer's head hard enough to knock the man out, reaching out with his hand and calling his lightsaber into his hand so he could cut his other arm free. Once the chains had dropped to the floor, he hooked the lightsaber to his belt and opened his arms wide, relief and love filling his expression as a familiar figure entered into the camera's view. Luke wrapped his arms tightly around the woman, burying his face in her crimson hair and holding onto her like a starving man as he whispered words into her ear that only she could hear. There was one word he said loud enough for the camera to pick up, however.

"_Mara..."_


	17. Chapter 17: Questions of the Heart

_**FInally, after laboring over this chapter for days, it is done. I'm tired, but I'm sooo happy that its over. SO many answers, you're all going to be satisfied I hope.**_

_**Oh, and a lovely surprise as well :D**_

_**I'm going to fly through this next part: Facebook Page: AngelDesaray of Fanfiction (Go like it) Twitter: AngelDesaray And I published a book through Amazon, just search Eternity's Guardian Shaundra Nash, it's got a picture of a boy and girl in white and jeans, and the boy has wings around the girl.**_

_**You're reactions were...lovely. Lol. You were all Anakin! You just KNEW Luke wouldn't kill Mara, and you were desperate to figure out HOW she was still alive but you couldn't find what you needed-the HOW! and then the doubt crept in mwahahahaha and you feared that perhaps she WAS dead...**_

_**sorry, lol, I'm evil I know it...I loved seeing you all Anakin it lol hahhaha so many Anakins in my reviews...**_

_**Anyway, please review, tell moi whatcha think, I wanna knoooow! (Sorry I just had a Route 44 Cherry Dr. Pepper and i'm all hyped up lol)**_

_**ENJOY!**_

* * *

_**(Tatooine, a few days ago...)**_

_Luke took aim...and fired._

_With all the speed he could muster, Luke jumped over the ledge of the roof he was on, already gathering the Force to him in preparation of what he was about to do. He was going to be experimenting yet again, and there was no guarantee this would work; all he could do was trust in the Force._

_Luke's feet hit the sandy back alley below and he coiled like a cat upon the impact, standing up and rushing over to Mara who had just hit the ground. He positioned his body to shield her from the camera, kneeling beside her as he slung the rifle over his shoulder._

"_Mara..." he whispered, and her emerald gaze focused on him, her eyes widening in surprise as he pulled his blaster out, angling it away from her chest but keeping it in front of his body so the camera couldn't see. "As soon as I fire you need to lie perfectly still; trust me."_

_Luke took a straight shot at the ground right in between her ribs and upper arm and Mara did as she was asked, going completely still as Luke holstered his blaster. Tenderly, he placed two fingers on her jugular, tipping her head to the side so she'd look him in the eyes. "You weren't supposed to follow me; I told you to turn around for a reason," he whispered seriously. He wanted to lean down and kiss her, but he couldn't, not with the camera behind him. "When you wake up, you'll be dead to the galaxy. Please trust me on this; you need to keep up the ruse as long as you can; now _my_ life is going to depend on it. No one—other than Leia, Han, and Chewie—can know you're alive. I love you."_

_The next moment, Luke delved into the Force, placing Mara under in powerful Jedi Healing Trance. As soon as she was securely asleep, he put all of his energy into creating a doppelgänger. Not of himself, but of Mara; something that had not been heard of. Doppelgängers of oneself were able to be picked up by cameras, droids, and other electrical equipment, yes. Doppelgängers of someone else, and with a difference as large as he was going to create..._

_He had a great task ahead of him. In fact, he was planning on _a lot _of rest after this. Pushing himself as deep into the Force as he could, Luke set about the task of creating a doppelgänger of Mara that would sport a false blaster wound right in the center of her chest and would be as still as death with no breathing. Sweat trailed down his neck and his head throbbed, but as he slowly stood, he could feel the Force flowing through him, complying with what he was trying to accomplish. He felt the Force flowing through him at a steady pace as well as an assurance that his task was complete, and he stepped away from Mara, opening his eyes as he sustained the complex illusion._

_Before him was a perfect illusion of the 'murdered' Mara, complete with a trail of smoke from the blaster wound. He would have done a simple illusion if an illusion was capable of being picked up by something other than the organic it was cast over, but the doppelgänger ability was the only ability that suited his needs. He needed there to be apparently solid proof she was dead, and since no one had ever used a doppelgänger to fake a death because of the energy required simply to create the doppelgänger, no one would even think of the possibility. To anyone other than Luke—who knew the truth—it would appear that Mara Jade was undoubtedly, assuredly, dead._

_Steeling himself, Luke made sure to keep a firm grasp on his illusion as he grasped Mara under the arms, dragging her out of view of the camera and hiding her behind a dumpster in the alley. Safe from the prying eyes of the recorded image that would go to Judro, Luke leaned down to gently press his lips to Mara's, smoothing her hair down lovingly._

"_Please, Mara, stay safe this time...I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you..." he murmured before standing up and fixing his face into an expressionless mask once again._

_Hopefully Leia and the others would find Mara before anyone else. Right now Luke had to get Mara's death circling as fast as possible._

* * *

_**(Ruusan, Present)**_

"Mara..." Luke whispered huskily into Mara's ear as he allowed himself to be pulled into her warm embrace. Oh, how he'd missed her! Knowing that everyone thought she was dead and thought he had killed her had been hard, but he'd eased the pain by taking comfort in the fact he was one of the few who knew the truth, that her death had been faked, and she was safe from becoming a target so long as she kept up the ruse.

Mara craned her neck to the side, and Luke eagerly captured her lips with his own. His fingers curled into her shoulder and the middle of her back with the starving need for her he'd held at bay for roughly two months, and he didn't care if the camera was still rolling. In fact, it had completely left his mind that there was a camera capturing everything that was happening for the galaxy to see, live.

Mara was the one who pulled away, but instead of giving him words of love and comfort she punched him as hard as she could in the shoulder.

"Hey..." he protested, his question of 'what was that for?' dying on his lips when he saw the expression on her face. Mara jabbed a warning finger in his face, looking every bit the Emperor's Hand she had once been.

"Don't you ever—_ever_—do that to me again, Luke Skywalker," she growled. Luke put up his hands as a gesture of peace almost subconsciously, taking a reflexive step back.

"I'm sorry; I told you not to follow me for a reason Mara," he replied, turning away to approach the door. Mara followed him.

"I figured that out, but did you have to _shoot_ me?"

Luke sighed, examining the control panel for a moment. "It was for effect; I had to make it look convincing, and I really wasn't given any time to prepare. I didn't know you were the target I was given until you stepped into that alley, so it was all very spur of the moment. Besides, it was either that or a vibroblade."

"Cheery." Mara watched as he pulled out his lightsaber, jumping when he sliced the console and making a sound of annoyed exasperation.

"They'll be coming that way; we have to find another way out," Luke told her before she could ask, gently grabbing her arm and leading her to the center of the room. He made a slow circle, examining every inch of the room they were in and stretching out with the Force to figure out what was around their room. "So how long have you been in the base?"

Mara shrugged, smiling at their casual conversation as if they weren't in a life and death situation. "Not long...I came here not long after you did. By the way; Deimos. Really? Did you have to?"

Luke grimaced, approaching the wall opposite from the door. "I didn't have much of a choice; he had me at gunpoint and was going to turn me in to Judro."

As Luke plunged his lightsaber into the wall and started to cut his way through, Mara came to stand beside him, adding her blade to speed along the process. "So is it true? Is Judro really dead?"

"Yes."

"And you killed him?"

"...Yes."

"You didn't...I mean, it's still definitely Luke I'm talking to, right? Not Eius?"

Luke stopped what he was doing and stared at her with an expression of obvious hurt. "No...no, of course not..."

"I'm sorry, I had to ask, it's just...we were all so worried about you going after him, what with Jeza and everything else..." Mara responded quietly.

"Well...nothing like that happened, if that's what you're worried about..." Luke muttered, keeping his eyes focused on his task of cutting through the wall. "He called me in, confronted me, things escalated into a fight, he tried to kill me, I fought him off and then...he was dead. It all happened too fast to even realize what _exactly_ happened..."

There was shouting and banging at the door; the sounds of Judro's men struggling to get through. Luke made the last cut and kicked the chunk of the wall through, gesturing for Mara.

"Come on, let's go home," he murmured, pulling her through the hole with him. They stepped into one of the many halls of the Insurgence base with Luke yanking Mara back just in time as blaster fire flew past them, coming dangerously close. Luke glanced back into the room they'd come from, calling the discarded blaster of one of the incapacitated Insurgence soldiers and taking aim at the soldiers in the hall that had them pinned. Beside him, Mara did the same, returning fire to provide Luke with some degree of cover while he worked to aim true.

"Luke!" Mara warned when the door to the room he'd been contained in burst open.

"Switch me!"

Luke traded her lightsaber for the blaster he was holding with one hand and pulled out his lightsaber with the other, re-entering the room to confront the men streaming in before they could come at them from behind while Mara cleared the hall behind. Purple and green flashed at dizzying speeds as Luke rendered each blaster that came within reach useless, aiming to render his opponents unconscious at the most instead of kill anyone—he'd had enough of all the killing by now.

One man went flying into the wall, his head hitting the duracrete so hard there was an audible crack and he crumpled to the floor lifelessly. Another suffered from the pommel of Luke's lightsaber being rammed against his temple, and two more fell to the floor like Luke had cut their strings when he bashed their heads together.

"Clear!" Mara called behind him, and Luke let his blades flash through the air to deflect the blaster bolts before he reached out with the Force and _pulled_, causing a chunk of the ceiling to fall from above and plug up the hole that was the door. Luke tossed Mara's lightsaber back to her, already rushing out into the hall with her as they both rushed side by side through the hall.

"Sense them coming from the right?" Mara asked.

"Four of them. The hangar's to the left; I'll open the door, you take care of them."

"Got it."

Luke kept moving forward while Mara veered off to the left. He could hear the sounds of shouting, blasters going off, and her lightsaber igniting, but the fight didn't last long. The sounds ended not long after he'd shoved his lightsaber through the control panel and forced the locked blast doors to open, and Mara was soon by his side once again.

"We're going to want to get out of here soon. The Insurgence officers know their base has been compromised since you were here, and they've already evacuated most of the base. I heard a few whispers that they're going to send this place all the way to Korriban."

Instinctively, Luke winced at the mention of the planet before he answered her. "Why didn't you mention this before we took the long way out? I would have fought through the mass of guards at the other end if it meant getting to the hangar faster. When are they going to level this mountain?"

"I don't know, that's why I suggest we get out as soon as poss—"

"Get down!" Luke suddenly barked, cutting her off. A thick metal pole swung through the air the same instance he shouted, and Mara ducked just in time while Luke danced out of the way of the swinging weapon. Before their attacker could gather himself again, Luke grabbed the pole in his hand and yanked it from his grip, turning the weapon on the Insurgance soldier and swiping his feet out from under him before delivering a powerful blow to his stomach. The man curled up with a pained groan, and Luke grabbed Mara's hand, dropping the pole.

"Keep moving."

"I know, Farmboy, I can handle myself you know."

"Then how come you didn't see that coming?"

"I was focused on answering you."

"Oh, so it's my fault now that you almost had your head removed?" Luke asked with a grin, pulling her around the corner.

"Hmm...yes, let's go with that," Mara mumbled slyly, leaning over to give him a quick kiss on the lips. Luke interlocked their fingers before breaking away, returning his attention to the maze of halls in front of him. He could sense people in the base, but that number was swiftly starting to dwindle.

"We're running out of time," Luke muttered, doubling his pace. "They're almost done evacuating already. If we want a way out of here we need to hurry, or there won't be any ships left."

"Well, if the worst happens, Leia, Han, and Chewie are standing by with the Falcon."

Luke's eyes flickered towards her at the statement, emotion swelling up in his throat. "They're on-planet too?"

Mara rolled her eyes. "Of course, how do you think I got here? I flew on a mynock?"

Luke snorted. "Interesting mental image."

Luke came to an abrupt halt, and this time it was Mara that reacted in defense. She lashed out with a vicious upward kick, getting the soldier that skirted around the corner right in the throat before he could even raise the blaster. The pair hopped over him without a backwards glanced, continuing on their mad dash towards the hangar.

"How many do you sense in the facility?" Luke asked her randomly.

"Why? Can't you sense them?"

"I want a second opinion."

Mara sighed. "I don't know...not many."

"Exactly."

The base around them suddenly shook, throwing them off balance. For a few seconds, there was a deadly silence, and then the rumbling began.

"Run!" Luke commanded, breaking into a dead sprint. They rounded corner after corner almost blindly, trusting in the Force to guide them to their escape. The rumbling of the base grew steadily louder, and Luke struggled to discern the sound of the crumbling, collapsing mountain base from the sound of his beating heart. He could almost see time slipping away right out of their fingers, and suddenly running into Insurgence soldiers was no longer his greatest concern. Now he was having flashbacks to Tythe, of being buried under meters of rubble in a small metal vent.

"We're here!" Mara exclaimed in relief as they skidded into the hanger at the last moment. Dust and chunks of stone were falling from the ceiling, warning them of how little time they had left.

Luke and Mara both sprinted across the hangar bay towards the remaining ship, a rickety freighter on the other side of the room clear in the back corner. Luke grimaced at its position in the hangar bay, wishing it was at least a little bit closer to the exit. Still, it was better than finding out there was no ship in the hangar, so he wasn't going to complain despite the alarming rate the room was collapsing around them.

"Come on!" Luke shouted over the rumble of rubble falling all around them as the mountain collapsed in on itself. Mara stayed right beside him in their mad dash towards their last hope of getting out of the mountain. All they had to do was get the ship powered up and get out of the hangar, and they'd be home free...

Luke's hand slammed the button to activate the landing ramp, impatiently waiting for the ramp to lower enough for them to get through the door. He pushed Mara forward once the ramp had lowered enough, coming up right behind her as they both entered the ship, closing the ramp behind them.

"Do you think you can get us out of here before the place collapses?" Mara asked.

"I don't know," Luke replied in a grim tone of voice. He practically threw himself into the pilot's seat, Mara leaping into the copilot seat as Luke started up the engines. He muttered a constant stream of _come ons_ to the ship, doing his best to ignore the rapidly crumbling hangar around him.

"Luke..."

Luke shook his head. "I can't do anything yet I have to wait for the ship."

"Well then maybe one of us should explain to the ship that we don't have time."

"Be my guest; I don't know if it will make much of a difference."

"Some optimism would help; I'm used to you being the optimistic one in these situations."

"I haven't quite reached that point yet. Still not quite the old me," Luke responded calmly, finally lifting the ship off of the ground. Their window of opportunity was swiftly closing, and Luke was suddenly rather certain that they weren't going to be able to get out before the hangar collapsed. Half the hangar was already full of rubble, rock, duracrete, and it was all a pain for Luke to navigate around considering how pressed for time they were. He swung the ship to the right to dodge a mound of the debris, but considering that put the mound on his left he was unable to dodge the slab of rock that collapsed from the ceiling. The slab dropped onto the ship's right wing, and the ship was immediately set off balance. Luke cursed, fighting to keep the freighter steady.

_Just until we're out of the hangar, then you can fail on me, then I'll accept a crash landing_, he thought desperately, eyes fixated on the ever-shrinking hole to freedom. All throughout the base, Luke could feel the life-forces of those that had been left behind in the base being snuffed out as the mountain crumbled in on itself.

"Luke, watch out!" Mara suddenly shouted in terror, and Luke yanked the ship's controls to the left in an attempt to dodge the ginormous cluster of rock and duracrete that dropped in front of the exit. Luke pulled back, desperate to stop the ship before it crashed into the wall. There was an alarming scream of rock and metal, and the lights suddenly went out, plunging the room into complete darkness as their only way out was sealed off by the falling debris.

The Force screamed at him so loud in warning Luke's head throbbed, and he gave up on steering the ship. Instead, he focused on his companion, the woman he'd done all of this to protect.

"Get down!" he shouted, grabbing the front of her shirt and yanking her out of the chair, throwing the two of them back further into the ship as the entire base around them collapsed.

* * *

"Oh my Force...Han! Oh my Force!"

"Kriff," Han swore, and Chewbacca roared his own exclamations from the copilot chair as the three watched in horror as the mountain the Insurgence base was located began to crumble in on itself. Leia could sense the raw terror from the city at the base of the mountain as well as the terror of those that were still inside of the base. They had convinced as many people as they could to evacuate the town just in case something terrible did happen, and Leia was suddenly glad they had convinced as many as they had to leave.

Now, however, all of her concern was focused on her brother and Mara; she knew neither of them was out of that base yet, and still she was watching this mountain collapse in on itself from the massive bomb that had been detonated not long ago. She stretched out desperately towards her brother through the Force, grasping desperately for something that would tell her he was still alive, that he would make it through this explosion.

To her growing alarm, she felt intense pain, suppressed panic and fear, and also saw the mountain's hangar (which they had made a point to find and pass routinely just in case) closed up by the collapsing mountaintop.

"Luke!" she cried out, standing up from her seat behind Han. Han reached out with one hand to make a rather useless attempt to sit her down, but Leia remained standing, eyes fixated on the mountain in front of her.

"Can you sense them?" Han asked, sounding like he was trying his hardest to keep his own panic hidden. There was no point; Leia could sense it.

She closed her eyes and tried to refocusing, searching desperately in the last place she had sensed Luke and Mara. If she found nothing...

A small sigh of relief escaped her lips. "I can sense them. They're still alive."

* * *

Luke groaned once the worst had settled, one hand clenching into a fist in Mara's hair as he held tighter to her while the other splayed flat against her back. He was lying on top of her, pressed against her, trapped between her and something heavy against his back, trapping her in turn between himself and the floor of the ship's hall. Slowly, Luke rested his head in the crook of her neck, taking deep, steadying breaths.

"Are you all right?" he murmured into her ear.

"I'll...I'll be fine..." she answered. "But ah, do you think you could kindly get off of me?"

Luke grimaced, trying unsuccessfully to push off of her and finding that the weight against his back was ominously fixed in place and extremely heavy. "I'm afraid that's not going to happen."

Mara moaned. "Don't tell me we're stuck here."

"I think so...considering I've been in this buried alive situation before...I'd say we're trapped under tons of rock and metal and everything else in this base."

Pure silence followed his statement as they both came to terms with what he'd just said out loud, their slightly uneven breathing the only sound between them in the darkness.

Mara shifted underneath Luke, and he pushed off of her as much as he could, pressing flat against the heavy object that had him pinned to her as she squirmed. "Maybe…maybe I can move…" she muttered, trying to shimmy out from underneath him. However, there was a soft _thud_ and a hiss of pain. "Nevermind…"

"Was that your head?" Luke asked in concern, the fingers that were twined in her hair splaying out to find the source of her discomfort.

"Yes, but it's nothing, just a bump. What about Leia, can you sense her? Maybe the other three can help get us out of here."

"I don't know if they can reach us fast enough. We're trapped under meters of tons of rubble in a mountain; not exactly an ideal situation. We'll only have so much air for so long…"

"You're just full of optimism today."

"I didn't say I wouldn't try it. That's probably our best bet," Luke murmured, closing his eyes and reaching out to his sister. It didn't take him long to find her, as it appeared she'd been searching for him through the Force as well. He sensed relief come off of her in waves, and he was loath to interrupt the momentary joy that she felt upon finding he was still alive. He wouldn't be alive much longer if they didn't start doing something about it.

Luke refrained from taking any deep breaths, wanting to spare as much oxygen as he could as there had to be enough to last both Mara and himself until help could arrive. Instead, he focused on sending a wave of urgency towards Leia, as well as the sensation of being trapped and needing help. It took a few moments, but understanding eventually came from Leia in return, and Luke wilted in relief.

"She'll do what she can," Luke told Mara.

"Do you know what's pinning us?"

"Most likely the rubble on the ship…and the ship itself."

"Could you move it with the Force?"

Luke hesitated, loath of the idea of making a wrong move and causing the remains of the structure that was the only thing keeping them alive to crush both of them. "I can try…but we'll still need the others. It's too risky of an attempt as it is with how far down we are, and it would take to long."

Luke felt Mara's hand rest on his chest just over his heart, and he relaxed slightly. "We'll be fine Luke…you'll see."

Luke sighed against her gentle touch, leaning down to give her a heartfelt kiss on the lips. "I love you, Mara."

Mara smiled against his lips before he pulled away. "I love you, too."

Luke returned the smile, closing his eyes and allowing himself to slip within the folds of the Force, stretching his senses out as far as the rubble above and around them went. His spirits sank when he realized just how far under they were, but he quickly steeled his resolve and poked around to figure out what piece to move first. He was loath to think of the rocks around them as a jigsaw puzzle, as this was a life and death situation with more than just his life on the line. Mara was here too, trapped with him, and even if they couldn't see it, the oxygen was slowly running out. Subconsciously, Luke slowed his breathing and tried to use as little oxygen as he could, with Mara doing the same as Luke started the grueling progress of carving a way out.

* * *

"Han, you keep the Falcon in the air, all right? Chewie and I can do the heavy lifting."

Despite the fact it was obvious that Han knew she was right, and someone had to stay behind and keep the Falcon in the air, Han still didn't like the idea of sitting by and waiting for his best friend and fiancé to rescue his brother in all but blood. He wanted to help dig out Luke and Mara.

Unfortunately, it seemed that wasn't going to happen.

"All right, fine," Han growled, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat. "Just _please_ be careful?"

Leia leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, I will. We won't be long…I hope."

"I hope so too," Han mumbled as she hurried out of the cockpit after Chewbacca, who had already lowered the landing ramp and was simply waiting for Leia so they could begin their excavation. Han stared out the window at the debris that had once been a mountaintop and felt a painful ache in his chest. "I hope so too…"

When Leia's feet hit the rubble, she was surprised and also concerned by how secure it felt. It was going to take a while to free Luke and Mara, and she wasn't so sure that the two had that much time.

"Come on Chewie, they don't have that much time," she ordered, already moving towards what she hoped would be a good spot to start in. She bent down to pick up one of the smaller rocks in the strange dip in the rubble, and jumped back with an alarmed shout when the rock moved on its own. The next moment she cursed herself for being so easily startled when she sensed Luke's concerned prod through the Force while the rock remained still, and it continued to move only after Leia had sent back a calm assurance that she was all right.

"Okay…this might go a little faster then," Leia muttered, snatching the rock once she was thinking clearly again. It took Luke a moment, but he quickly found a new rock to target, which Chewbacca plucked out of the air and tossed aside once Luke had started to raise the rock.

So the quick routine began with Luke finding the rocks they needed to move and Leia and Chewbacca doing the actual moving.

* * *

Luke didn't know how much time had passed, but he did know that he was sweating, and salty beads were stinging his eyes as he focused all of his attention on the rocks up above. As fast as they were being unburied, it wasn't fast enough. Air was starting to come painfully and Luke's chest was starting to burn. He fought the instinct to panic and kept his mind focused on the task at hand. Occasionally though, he would be distracted by Mara below him, a nagging thought struggling its way to the front of his mind until he just had to speak, paying simultaneous attention to the rescue attempt up above.

"Mara…I have to ask you something," Luke grunted. "You have been there for me through everything no matter what, and I just have to know…"

"You're not saying a goodbye already, are you Farmboy?" Mara asked, though she sounded worried. Luke wasn't ignorant enough to think that she wasn't aware of how serious their situation was; it was a full possibility that they wouldn't be pulled from this rubble alive.

"Mara…" Luke started, pausing to gather himself. "Will you marry me?"

There were several heartbeats of silence before she spoke. "You mean if we get out of here alive?"

"I mean regardless."

Again, Mara was silent, and Luke waited in nervous anticipation, heart pounding and body beginning to tremble from exertion. Finally, she spoke.

"Yes...yes of course I will, Luke..."

A grin lit up Luke's features so bright it nearly gave them enough light to see each other in, and despite the fact they were supposed to be conserving oxygen Luke leaned down and gave Mara a long, passionate kiss on the lips. Mara gasped.

"Oxygen, Luke, we need to preserve that oxygen!" Mara forced out whenever Luke's lips released hers long enough for her to speak.

"Right..." Luke murmured, pulling away with a smile he wished she could see. "I'll...focus on getting us out of here. Thank you Mara, so much. I love you more than I could ever hope to explain."

"I know," Mara replied, and he knew she was probably grinning devilishly below him.

Luke restrained his laughter, focusing once more on deepening his connection to the Force. He could sense Mara adding in her assistance to the surface, but the rate of her breathing below him disturbed him. Worried for Mara—now his fiancé—and her well-being, Luke sneakily started to pull her towards a hibernation trance. If he could put her into the trance that would be a little more time with a little more oxygen to spare.

Luke felt a jab of accusation from Mara once she realized what he was doing, and he sighed. "I'm trying to spare us some oxygen and buy us a little more time."

"Well then you should have asked instead of trying to knock me out behind my back," she scolded him.

"Sorry," Luke apologized sincerely, leaning down to give her a kiss on the forehead. He heard her sigh and relax, taking it as his invitation to put her under. Running his fingers lovingly across her temple, Luke led her into a deep hibernation trance, and soon her breathing slowed and evened out, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Now he was alone.

Pushing that grim thought aside, Luke focused all of his energy on helping his sister to unbury them, lying prone against Mara to save as much strength as possible. He ignored how hard it was getting to breath, keeping himself as optimistic as he could as progress was slowly made to free them. He hadn't told Mara, but he'd put her into a hibernation trance for another reason.

If they did die, he wanted it to be as painless as possible for her. Suffocation was not a joyous way to go out, and he didn't want Mara's last moments to be like that if they did die.

With a sigh, Luke lowered his head onto Mara's chest, slowing his breathing down as much as he could and holding his breath as long as he could, entertaining thoughts of returning home and marrying the beautiful woman he held close to him right now, of starting anew with his family. When a dark thought of impending death crossed his mind, Luke simply thought of how dying would mean he would see Jeza again.

Either way, he would be okay with how things turned out.

* * *

As time slipped through his fingers, despite all of his efforts to retain oxygen in their small little prison, Luke's breathing became labored and burned his lungs, sucking whatever oxygen out of the air as he could. He couldn't focus anymore, and so he stopped assisting with the rescue attempt. He didn't have the ability to help anymore anyway. His head pounded and all he wanted to do was sleep...

_No, Luke, you can't go to sleep; if you go to sleep...if you...Please stay awake Luke...you have to...you have to..._

He didn't know why he needed to stay awake anymore, but he struggled to hold onto consciousness nonetheless, clutching to the unconscious woman with him and fighting for air the entire time.

* * *

"Chewie, hurry, please, we're losing them!" Leia cried out, throwing rocks aside blindly with the Force and with her bare hands. There was no point in strategically removing the rocks anymore as that difficult part was over. So long as they didn't accidentally bring the entire pathway they'd carved crashing down on them. High above their heads at the top of their downwards tunnel, the _Millennium Falcon_ hovered, waiting anxiously for their success. Luke and Mara's presences were alarmingly faint, though Leia could tell that Luke was still—barely—conscious. Chewbacca was right beside Leia, tossing aside the larger rocks Leia couldn't physically pick up.

"Hold on Luke, hold on, we're almost there," Leia muttered steadily not only to herself but to Luke as well, even if he couldn't hear her.

_Chink!_

Leia's heart leapt into her throat when she heard the sound from Chewie's side, and she rushed over to where the Wookiee was standing. Chewbacca was quickly clearing away the remaining rubble, revealing a slim panel of battered steel. There was large dents all over the steel, and for a moment Leia couldn't help but marvel that it was a miracle her brother and Mara had somehow survived the blast—it couldn't be anything but intervention from the Force that had kept them alive, especially when Leia looked up at the meters tall tunnel above them that they had made. It was going to be a pain getting back up there.

Leia unhooked her lightsaber, splaying one hand against the metal as she activated the blade. Just before she plunged the blade into the steel she froze, realizing that Luke was _literally_ on the other side of the panel, and she'd almost plunged the lightsaber right through and would have impaled him, possibly Mara too.

Apparently using the lightsaber was out of the question.

"Chewie, he's right on the other side of this panel, I can't use the lightsaber without burning him or possibly impaling him too."

Chewbacca roared in response, and Leia took a few moments to think over his offer.

"If I'm careful...yes, that could work," she replied, activating her lightsaber again. She purposely lifted the blade just above the metal and then slowly lowered it, gradually slicing through the metal. When she was about halfway through the metal, she started to move to the side, making a gradual cut in the steel just deep enough to create a grip for Chewbacca. Once she was done, she stepped back, watching the metal cool before Chewbacca took her spot. He dug his furry paw into the lightsaber made grip and then _pulled_, his Wookiee muscles straining and rippling. A groan escaped the great Wookiee, but it also came from the metal he was prying up. The groan morphed into a shriek, and finally the steel gave, and Chewbacca pulled back the steel panel. Leia jumped to the other side, leaning down to see if she could see her brother inside of the hole.

"Luke! Mara! Luke, answer me!" Leia called in a panicked voice.

A heaving gasp for air greeted her, and a black form shuddered in the space she could see. Realization struck her, and she reached out and touched Luke's back comfortingly.

"Leia?" she heard his voice rasp before he took another great gasp for air.

"I'm here Luke, you're going to be all right—Chewie, a little farther, they're deep in."

Chewbacca rumbled in acknowledgement, pulling the panel as far back as he could before he moved to the other side and started to pull that one back.

"How's Mara?" Leia asked Luke while she waited for Chewbacca to free them up as much as he could.

"I put her in a hibernation trance; she's still unconscious."

The steel shrieked again as Chewbacca pulled the metal back and Leia could finally make out Luke's shoulders, as well as the ends of his hair. It was strange seeing it dyed black instead of its usually blonde shade, but Leia refrained from commenting. Carefully, Leia put her hands on Luke's side, pulling him back.

"Come on, I think I can get you out of here—watch your head," Leia told him, gently raising him up out of the hole. Luke leaned against Leia, his chest heaving as he took in great gulps of air. He was weaving dangerously, and Leia had him sit down before she reached down to get Mara. Both of them had multiple cuts and bruises, as well as dust all over them from the blast. Gingerly, Leia reached down and pulled Mara out of the cramped space, handing her off to Chewbacca who was holding his arms out expectantly.

Luke shielded his eyes against the sun, standing up to wrap his arms around his sister in a tight hug. "Thank you Leia," he whispered in her ear, sending a flood of love her way.

"You've got to stop with all of these near death experiences—I think you've had enough to last a lifetime now, so stop it," Leia scolded him teasingly, though she hugged him back just as hard.

Luke pulled back and smiled at her, a strange smile on his face. He seemed to glow as he looked between her and Mara, putting an arm around her shoulders. "So...another day...another dictator toppled...shall we go home now?" he asked teasingly.

Leia grinned. She'd missed this side of her brother dearly, and it was relieving and heartwarming to see him smile and joke again. It was as if a dark, oppressive weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

In a way, it had.

"Yes...let's go home now."


	18. Chapter 18: Resolutions

_**Okay, time for a really big apology:**_

_**I have not abandoned this story, I apologize for scaring everyone like that. The only story I've abandoned is Changing Fate (Sorry for those few that follow that story, but yeah, I'm debating deleting it off of this website)**_

_**Here is why I didn't reply for so long:**_

_**College applications, a college class, scholarship applications, two jobs, bible study, school, homework, and I had a book I was being paid to edit. Plus, I got really bad writer's block again, but I believe I'm over it now.**_

_**I'm sooooooo sorry that it's been so long! SOOOOOO sorry!**_

_**Impossibly Real is next on my list of "muscle through the writer's block and get another chapter in"**_

_**I'm determined to get back to regular updates. Just so you guys know, it is my senior year and I am very busy, which is why it's slowed down so much, and I post so many Binary Skies chapters because all I have to do is edit them. The first two books are written all ready, all I have to do is edit, and its something I can do while doing all my other stuff.**_

_**Anyway, again, I apologize for not getting this done sooner, here is your next chapter. Please Review!**_

_**Sorry again!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

As the _Millennium Falcon_ approached Coruscant, a bout of nerves suddenly assaulted Luke over a range of concerns he'd pushed aside while hunting Judro. Things like how his parents would react at his arrival; he knew they loved him and would never shun him, but he had to have frightened them quite a few times in recent weeks with his sudden disappearance, his apparent 'murder' of Mara, his near execution on Galactic Television…

Luke grimaced. Yes, he had a lot to smooth over with his parents.

Then there was still the issue of the traitors within the Jedi Temple; so long as they were there, the Jedi Order was in danger. He didn't know if his father had acted on his list yet, and if he hadn't then Luke was ready to step in and start putting events into motion. Now that Judro was gone, there was nothing stopping the hidden Dark Jedi from randomly striking down the Jedi in rogue movements.

On top of that, Luke still worried about Judro's dying threat. What worse threat could possibly be coming? Not Sidious, as Luke himself had made sure the Sith would never rise again. It wasn't Luke himself, as he'd resisted the pull of the dark side and triumphed over his darker self at what he considered one of his greatest moments of weakness and temptation. Even if Judro's threat had been an empty one—which Luke was too galaxy-weary to believe—he would have to take Judro's statement to heart and be ever watchful for the greater threat. He'd also have to warn Anakin so Luke would not be the only one watching.

Despite all of this, there was one thing on his mind he knew he needed to be first and foremost, the one most important thing right now.

His fiancé.

He wanted to tell the entirety of his family at the same time. He felt that after the heartwarming reunion that was to come, his announcement would be most welcome and appreciated. Even now, glancing across the cockpit to Mara, his soon-to-be bride, his heart beat a little faster and a slow smile spread across his face. Soon, after the years being apart and wishing for her company in secret, of yearning for her, she was going to be with him, bound to him as he would be to her through matrimony.

He couldn't think of any woman he wanted more than her, any woman more perfect than her; and because of that, he could not wait to be _wed_ to her.

Luke was pulled from his musings in that moment as the _Falcon_ descended into Coruscant's atmosphere, and Luke's heart picked up speed. This was it; he was finally coming home, and this time he wouldn't have to leave again.

That thought sent warmth flooding through his veins, soothing some of his nerves as the _Falcon_ dipped lower and lower from the sky, gradually approaching the familiar building of 500 Republica. When the landing pad of his home was within view, Luke couldn't wait any longer. He rose to his feet, making his way to the landing ramp so he could exit the ship as soon as it settled down on the landing pad. He waited anxiously to feel the Falcon touch the pad and hear the ship start to power down, leaning against the wall and gathering himself in preparation of what was to come.

He finally felt what he'd been waiting for, and he eagerly slammed his hand down on the button that would lower the ramp, waiting impatiently for the ramp to lower at least halfway before he rushed down the steps, heart pounding and gaze searching for his parents.

He was met with something else entirely.

A joyous bark rang through the air, and Luke was knocked off of his feet by the full weight of Nydri, the tuk'ata his father had befriended on Korriban. She pinned him to the ground, licking his face repeatedly as Luke struggled for freedom.

"Nydri! Gah! No! Get off! Where have you even _been_ all this time?" Luke laughed, squirming to get free from Nydri.

"She's been going on tracking missions with other Jedi. She's come home for a break for now," came the familiar voice of his father above him. Luke paused, hardly aware that Nydri was still licking his face when he caught sight of his father.

Anakin had a strange look on his face, and Luke finally managed to struggle out from Nydri, rising to his feet to stand before his father, suddenly feeling much more aware of how he'd left his family behind. Luke cast his eyes downwards, unable to meet Anakin's gaze.

"Father, I'm so—" Luke started to apologize, but before he could even truly begin his father suddenly wrapped his arms around Luke, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug that strangled out Luke's apology.

"Don't ever leave us like that again, Luke," Anakin said gruffly into his son's ear. "We were worried sick about you—but no apologies. We're just glad that you're home."

Luke returned his father's embrace. "I won't; it's all taken care of now. I'm not going anywhere."

Anakin pulled away, studying Luke closely. "Are you sure you're all right?"

He wasn't talking about injuries.

"Yes, I'm fine, much better now than I was before," Luke admitted. His gaze wandered to see his mother, standing at a respectable distance as father and son had their moment. Now, however, he pulled away from Anakin and approached Padme, pulling his mother into a tight embrace.

"I missed you both so much," Luke said just loud enough that his father could hear as well. He found comfort in his mother's embrace, even more so when his father approached and placed a hand on Luke's back. Padme laughed softly.

"And we missed you," she whispered. She ran her fingers through Luke's now-black hair, a small frown tugging at her lips. "We'll have to fix that; it will only take a few minutes."

Luke laughed. Of all the things she was concerned about, it was his change of hair color. "All right, but later, not right now." He kissed her cheek, reaching to put a hand on his father's arm. "Right now I just want to celebrate being home."

No sooner had the words left his mouth did he see Mara, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca descend the landing ramp and he pulled away, pulling Mara to him and leading her over to his parents. "Though I also want to celebrate the fact that Mara said yes."

Confusion furrowed several brows, though Padme was quick to put the pieces together, a hand flying to her mouth as she covered up her gasp of surprise. Anakin looked at her in confusion, as did Han, though Leia had a similar expression on her face as Padme.

"What do you mean she said yes?" Anakin asked, confused. Luke wound his fingers with Mara's, sharing a secretive smile with her before he returned his gaze to his parents, squaring his shoulders.

"I asked Mara to marry me," Luke told them reverently.

There were a few heartbeats of silence before, all at once, the news Luke had just delivered hit them all. Anakin grinned and Padme squealed in excitement, pulling her son into another embrace. "Oh, this is wonderful!" she cried. "Both of my babies are engaged, both of them are going to get married."

Padme pulled back, touching Anakin's arm. "Oh, we're going to have an empty nest..."

Luke shook his head, smiling sheepishly at his mother. "Maybe not for a while," he amended. "I've been gone from home too long to leave again anytime soon."

Anakin's expression softened. "That's comforting to hear, Luke."

Leia came up to them then, touching Mara's shoulder. "We'll have so much to get ready; you'll both need rings, Luke will need a tux, you'll need a dress, we'll need to pick a date and flowers—"

"Actually," Luke cut in, surprising everyone. "I was thinking maybe we could do a double wedding; you and Han have yet to get married, and I don't want you two waiting on me any longer."

Leia was taken aback, staring at her twin in surprise for several moments before her mouth and brain caught up to the present again. "Really? Are you sure? We've shared a lot through the years, do you really want to share a wedding day too?"

Luke smiled gently at his twin. "I'm all for it...if you're up for it as well, Mara, of course," Luke added, turning to his fiancé. Mara smiled at him in reassurance.

"I don't mind at all. Maybe we can help each other remember anniversaries," Mara said with a twinkle of mischievousness in her eyes, gazing at Han. Han rolled his eyes.

"Oh, gee, thanks for singling me out," he griped. Chewbacca growled behind him and Han turned indignant, turning to face the Wookiee. "I do not forget everything!"

Anakin laughed, clapping his son on the shoulders. "Come on, let's leave them to their bickering," he snickered. "I like the idea of a double wedding; that way we're not weighed down with the stress of two separate weddings."

Luke let his fingers slip free from Mara's grasp, sensing that his father wanted to have a deep one on one conversation with Luke about some rather serious and private matters. Mara let him go, probably picking up on the same vibes as Luke was. Firmly but gently, Anakin led Luke deeper into the apartment, guiding him into the bathroom.

"We should probably get that black dye out of your hair before your mother has a conniption," Anakin joked, and Luke couldn't help but smile. Furthermore, Anakin reached into the far back of the cabinet and pulled out a top-of-the-line color remover, putting a finger to his lips to signal secrecy at Luke's confused expression. "Your mother doesn't think I've noticed, but she's been using hair dye to hold the worst of the gray back; I think she has this in case one of her coloring sessions goes wrong."

Luke rolled his eyes. "She doesn't need the hair dye."

"You think I haven't tried to tell her that? Now come here, let's make you blonde again," Anakin said with a half-smirk.

For several minutes, all was quiet between the two Skywalker boys as the black was slowly removed from Luke's hair. Halfway through, Anakin spoke.

"So...are you going to tell me how it really went between you and Judro, now that the women aren't around? I know you don't want to worry your mother, or your sister, or Mara, for that matter."

Luke sighed, knowing this wasn't a conversation he couldn't avoid. "I almost gave in. I wanted to, and I came so close, but...I couldn't. Thinking of all of you, I couldn't do that knowing what it would do to you, and knowing that you all trusted me not to."

"If there's one thing the two of us should know by now, it's that love and our families can be a Skywalker's greatest weakness and their greatest strength; it all depends on what we choose to do," Anakin said softly, resting a hand upon his son's shoulder. Luke covered the limb with his own.

"I'm sorry I just disappeared like that, and I worried you all going after him when I was still...recovering. But I knew that you wouldn't let me leave any other way," Luke replied.

"Luke...what happened with Jeza...take it from someone who knows: That will never go away, and it will never be easy. What matters is that you learn to not let it keep you from living; she wouldn't want that," Anakin said carefully.

Luke felt that wound in his heart he'd been able to ignore open again, and he nodded slowly. "I...I know. It's just still...too fresh right now," Luke said quietly.

Anakin paused what he was doing to crouch down in front of him. "She loved you very much, Son. And she knew that you loved her because you showed her every day; that's what matters. Now Judro won't hurt anyone ever again."

Luke hesitated. "That's another thing. Before he died, Judro said that all of this wasn't over, that I'd made a mistake and that there were pieces still moving. What he said...it leads me to believe that killing him somehow only set loose a bigger monster, one who we don't have a face for, which is the most dangerous of threats."

Anakin sat back, mulling over Luke's words. "Do you think that the threat he referred to could be the spies in the Jedi Order? I'm still putting my pieces into play, so we haven't made any moves against them yet."

Luke stared at him. "You haven't arrested anyone? Father, most of them are unstable, the only reason why they haven't started randomly lashing out at Jedi in the Temple is because Judro was around to hold them back. Judro isn't around anymore; people are going to start getting hurt if we don't do something about them."

"Luke, some of the people on this list...I can't touch them without alerting the others or triggering some chain reaction that could be devastating unless I do it just right. This is going to take time—"

"Time that we don't have," Luke cut off. "If you're worried about someone getting away, then don't just send one person. There's you, Obi-Wan, Galen, myself, Mara, and Leia, not to mention Master Windu—"

"We didn't tell Master Windu about this," Anakin told him. "We knew he'd want to go right to removing them, but Obi-Wan and myself knew this required more careful planning. On top of that, the less people that know the better. If too many people know rumors will start to circulate and suspicions will grow until our efforts are practically moot."

"Father," Luke said firmly, holding Anakin's gaze unwavering. "I know you are my elder, and I know that I'm supposed to heed the wisdom you impart to me, but I think this was a mistake. I didn't give you that list for it to be endlessly debated like a bill among the Senate of the Clone Wars; I gave it so that you can start gathering those that wish the Order and our family harm. No matter what preparations you make, we will not get all of them, and it's best to flush them out of the Order and the Temple now while we have a chance and before they can do any serious damage."

"And you, Luke, need to accept that right now that's not a front line you can be a part of," Anakin said firmly. "You can't help hunt down Jedi, even if they are traitors; there's already enough controversy surrounding you, I don't even want to think of what the reaction would be if you started hunting down and arresting Jedi, even with my approval. You'll have to participate from the sidelines in this case."

"Who cares what they think; Father, you need my help, you need me out there," Luke pleaded.

"What I need, Luke..." Anakin chided him softly, placing his hands on both of his son's shoulders. "Is for you to stop and take a break from war and focus on your family for a while. Luke, we've only had YOU for a few days. The rest of the time there's been war, or you disappeared, or you locked yourself in your room. It's been five years; focus on your family, Luke, and your fiancé. You've earned it by now. Let us worry about this. You've done your part and you've earned your rest."

"What if I don't want to rest?" Luke asked softly. "Father, I've been fighting most of my life, both of them. I don't know what to do with myself if I'm not fighting."

"And that's why you need to take this break; you need to find yourself again outside of all of this fighting. Your time on Xenon was spent finding your light again; now you need to find yourself again, and you have your friends and family to help you do just that."

Luke looked away, heaving a tired sigh. "I won't rest until this galaxy is safe again."

"Son, if that's the case, then you will never rest, and that's not the life I want for you; I want you to find happiness and settle down one day, start a family...but you need to take the steps to do that, and I'm sorry but this isn't an option. I will bar you from the temple if I have too. Leave the problems to me, Luke; I am the Grandmaster, anyway. You take the time to rebuild your life here, and when I'm satisfied that you've done just that, I'll let you join in on the efforts, if there's still work to be done." Anakin paused, studying Luke's expression. "Normal people would be thrilled to have this chance," he quipped.

"Yes, well, Skywalkers are not normal people now, are we?" Luke replied, though Anakin could sense his flash of amusement at his words. Anakin's lips twitched up towards a smile.

"No, we never have been; but I do want my son to feel happy again, so he's going to get that chance if I have something to say about it." Anakin tenderly placed a hand over Luke's own, his voice dropping a few decibels. "Luke...we never even got a chance to talk about the fact that you've lived two lives. In fact, I think this is the first time you've mentioned it directly. And if you remember, you once helped me have a chance of happiness, so please, let me help you have that same chance."

Luke's gaze rose to meet Anakin's again, finally, and he sighed in defeat. "All right...all right. But if you need help, please, come to me? I want to help, I...after what happened, I need to help."

"Luke, I think you've already atoned for what happened with Sidious," Anakin said gently.

"I know you do, as does the rest of the family, but what matters is if _I_ can move on. I've already accepted that I did it, it's in the past, and I can't change it. However, I don't think there's any set number of things I can do to feel I've atoned for it. I'll continue to do whatever I can for anyone I come across. At the same time, I can't forget about it; the day I forget about it I set myself up to fail again."

"Well, while you keep it in mind, be sure not to let it destroy you in the process," Anakin said, tapping on Luke's chest directly over his heart. "Guilt can be just as destructive as any amount of hate and anger, Son. It's what ate away at me as Vader for all that time after I lost your mother. You have to learn to let that guilt go; and don't lie, I can sense it inside you, every day, and it hurts me to see you haven't learned to forgive yourself entirely."

Anakin took Luke's face within both hands, holding his son's gaze. "Luke, you are an amazing, beautiful human being, and you are already a better man than I have ever been. You have been through far more than I think anyone should have to—you've even died twice. You deserve this, you deserve happiness. Don't deny yourself the reward you deserve after all you've done and suffered through."

Luke searched Anakin's eyes for several long moments before he finally nodded. "I'll try."

Anakin couldn't help himself. "Do or do not; there is no try."

Miraculously, that coaxed a smile out of Luke as well. "Okay, then I will. Just give me some time, and I will."

Anakin felt a true, full smile break across his face, and he pulled Luke into his arms. "I'm glad you're home Luke...and I'm glad you're safe. Whatever happens now, we'll be all right, we'll make it out together; I know we will."

Luke allowed himself to gradually relax in his father's embrace, closing his eyes and allowing the comfort of a parent's arms to wash over him. They didn't say anything else for quite some time, and it was Luke who finally pulled away. "So, ah...can we finish my hair now, so it's not half blonde and half black?"

Anakin laughed, standing up to resume his task. "Oh, I don't know, you might start a trend," Anakin joked. Luke rolled his eyes but held still as Anakin continued removing the dye from Luke's hair. When he was finished, Luke happily stood up, stretching as he looked in the mirror. He smiled at his reflection.

"It's nice to see me looking like myself again," he said, running his hand along the uneven remains of his beard. "Well, almost. I'll shave and then I'll be right out, if that's all right with you," Luke told his father, already searching for where he kept his razor.

"I'll tell the others," Anakin assured him, and then left his son alone to finish up.

Everyone was gathered in the living room talking mostly of the impending double wedding, but Anakin didn't join them. Instead, he withdrew into the shadows of the room he shared with Padme, contacting Obi-Wan at the Jedi Temple.

"Anakin, thank the Force," Obi-Wan said in obvious relief. "I've been trying to get ahold of you since the broadcast; are you all right? Is Luke?"

"Sorry, Obi-Wan, I shut off my comlink," Anakin explained, drawing deeper into the room. "Everyone's fine, and Luke's home now."

"I've been keeping an eye on the media for you; they're going crazy, this might need addressing. And...Anakin, some of the Jedi we've been watching are getting really edgy now that Jurdo's been announced dead."

Anakin sighed, leaning against the window and gazing out over the horizon. "Yes, Luke said something like that would happen. The Jedi anyway. And for all I care, the media can just wait for their precious statement, we have more important things to do."

"Anakin, something needs to be done about these spies we know of, because someone's going to get hurt if they get too edgy."

Anakin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Go after the ones that are acting suspicious, but only them, and do it as quietly as you can. Fill in Windu, get Galen on it as well. Do you need Leia and myself down there too?"

"It would be helpful, yes. I'm surprised you haven't mentioned having Luke help with this," Obi-Wan commented.

"I know, I don't want him involved with this beyond providing names, helping us plan, and helping us evaluate evidence. If he gets involved in arresting and perhaps even hunting down Jedi, it could get messy."

"Yes, it could...but in case you've forgotten, Anakin, the invitation was extended to Luke to return to the Order, which he turned down on the grounds that he needed to do some things first. If he comes back, we can put him to that and there can't be too many complaints about it, at least none justified."

"Obi-Wan, that's entirely up to him, and he will come when he wants to. Even now, I can tell you for a fact he's not ready. Besides, right now I want him settling back into his life and rebuilding. He's even getting married, Obi-Wan. Just don't push it and let him come when he's ready," Anakin chided his friend gently.

"He's getting married? When did this happen?"

"While he was still on Ruusan, apparently. We're going to have a double wedding by the sound of it."

"Well...I'll be sure to be there. But in the meantime, the spies, Anakin, we need to deal with them."

"Obi-Wan—"

"Now, Anakin. I'm sorry but the full reunion will have to wait until later, we need you and your daughter here at the Temple _now_, Mara too if you can. I'll grab Galen and Windu but we'll be waiting for you, so please don't take too long."

He hung up, and Anakin sighed, rocking on his heels for a moment before he cursed softly under his breath and made his way to the living room. Everyone looked up when he entered, and Leia was immediately on her feet when she saw the look on her Father's face.

"Father, what is it?" she asked, concern etched on her features.

"We're needed at the Temple, you and I. Mara, if you could come, we could use your help too," Anakin said softly. Mara frowned.

"What about Luke?" Mara practically demanded to know.

"This is something that it would be best if he wasn't a part of; I've already had this conversation with him, so he's already aware. I'll fill you both in on what's going on while we're headed to the Temple, all right? We're meeting with Galen, Obi-Wan, and Windu."

Han stood up. "Do you need me and Chewie too?" he inquired.

Anakin shook his head. "No, this is a Jedi only ordeal; anyone else will get hurt if they try to involve themselves."

Leia's concern only grew. "Father what's going on?"

"I'll explain on the way, Leia, but we need to go now," Anakin said seriously, ushering her and Mara in the direction of the family speeder. Leia paused to give Han a goodbye kiss, and Anakin drew close to Padme.

"Tell Luke that we're handling part of that inside problem at the Temple when he asks where we went. He'll know what you mean," Anakin told her, kissing the top of her head.

"All right. You'll be okay, right?" Padme asked worriedly.

"I don't see why not," Anakin soothed her. "We'll be back as soon as we can, I promise, I love you," Anakin said in a rush.

With that, he was out the door and flying off towards the Temple.


End file.
